Parking: Just How Much to Fix?

These days parking in Patchogue Village or the lack of it seems to be on a lot of people’s minds so I thought it would be a good idea to present a summary of just where the village appears to be these days planning for new parking. And with the information some questions too.  

And there is no doubt a new parking plan is needed. Every indication says that this summer the Village will experience its highest influx of visitors as its reputation as a recreational destination grows.

This summer Riverfront clubs are set to re-open and some with upgrades. Main street clubs are expected to continue to attract visitors from all parts of LI and the metropolitan area too. Alive at 5 is about to begin a change in theme uniting the village’s growing artists and musicians community to create a bigger sense of peaceful celebration.  And now word that the Great South Bay Festival has BB King as a headliner for one of its nights elevating the musical status of that event. Plus everything else I forgot to mention and what you have is a lot of people heading this way  who are going to need a place to park…all of them.

First steps already in motion

The village plan to take better control of the parking problem has already begun in both small ways and large. The biggest step has been the early stages of its parking meter roll out.  Now with Main Street metered the next step coming soon will be metering several nearby parking lots. It is going to mean a change for many used to free parking but the idea at play here is by pricing parking it will turn over spaces on Main Street and elsewhere too. And all of this just as importantly to create  a revenue stream for the Village to expand parking in the future.

Next Steps

The first choice for a new parking option would seem to be the “Brackets “or Parking Plus plan. That plan calls for the construction of a two story parking deck with a twist: a second story space that converts into an outside concert venue. It calls for better organization of existing parking spaces by creating a smart grid of pedestrian walkways and visually interactive electronic signage. End result people can see where they are walking to better and know where to park in a user friendly way. A unified path of walkways bordered by greenery, well lighted, will encourage walking into and inside the village. Goal:  more parking, less stress, vibrant street feel in the heart of the village.  

The cost for that plan will be a minimum 6 million dollars.  There have been some hints that further expansion i.e. additional surface parking lots could make the final price tag ten million dollars.

Decisions about the plan ahead are due soon. Mayor Pontieri only recently suggested that it might be only a couple more months until the Village would have to commit to a plan. If he holds to that schedule then also ahead one would expect the Mayor’s public explanation about all the elements of that plan.

Some Questions

Here a few questions that I can think of that would be good to have some answers for.

Just how many new parking spaces should the village actually be planning to create at this time:  a few hundred or a few thousand?

How much exactly will it cost whatever the number of spaces? Will there be any outside grants aid to help reduce the costs?

It’s already been suggested that the plantings that are envisioned should be paid for by the business community and maintained by it too. Just how much will that cost?

Who is going to run the garage if built and how much will it cost to operate annually? Or if surface lots alone instead become the solution who is going to run this greatly expanded operation?  Is that going to be a privately run with a village license or mean a new expansion of the Village civil service at what price?

If a tiered parking garage is the plan of choice how long is it going to take to build and what impact on the nearby business community can be expected when a massive project of that kind is begun? And could that tiered parking deck be built elsewhere where there might be a greater need or is its present proposed location set in stone so to speak?

Just how realistic is it to think that parking meter fees can pay for all of this and the taxpayers none of it as the Mayor has consistently promised? Just how much money is the parking proposal actually expected to generate and at what fee structure guaranteed for any length of time?

Bottom line: are we going to see a parking plan that will end up with the most spaces for the least amount of money  built in the shortest amount of time that will work for decades ahead and if not what is the good reason for going in another direction?

Ahead

What everyone would certainly want that is some public hearings at times that are public friendly before any final vote by the whole Board of Trustees.