Parking Meters in Larchmont?

Board to Vote on Hiring Consultant

by Judy Silberstein

(February 25, 2007) Are parking meters an idea whose time has come – or are they still the “third rail” of Larchmont politics? At the Larchmont Village Board meeting on Monday, February 11, Trustee Marlene Kolbert introduced the topic and raised the option of hiring a consultant to study Larchmont’s parking problems and recommend solutions.

But before voting to expend an estimated $5K to 10K for a consultant, board members would like to hear from the public at their next meeting on March 5.

Also at the February 11 board meeting: Newly promoted Larchmont Police Sergeant Glenn Carney gets his new pin from newly retired Sergeant Gregg Innes as Mayor Feld, family and friends applaud.

The “whole issue of parking’ has been under consideration since March of 2006 by a task force led by Trustee Kolbert that includes Larchmont Police Chief Steve Rubeo along with the current head of the Larchmont Traffic Commission, Christine Randolph, the former head, Doris Patt-Smith, and two members, Maria Stanton and Phil Johanson. The group interviewed officials and experts in neighboring communities, including Rye, White Plains and Bronxville.

The only costs for street parking in Larchmont's business district are the fines imposed for overstaying the limits.

“The one message that comes through loud and clear,” said Trustee Kolbert, “is that the streets are our assets and we are basically giving away our assets for nothing.” She said Larchmont is one of the few remaining communities – if not the only one – without metered parking.

There are time limits for parking in the business districts, as declared on signs and checked by Larchmont's parking enforcement officers. Shoppers and business owners are ticketed and pay fines for overstaying the limit, but otherwise there is no fee. Residents can purchase yearly permits for longer stays in local lots.

The Parking Data

The task force began a series of studies of their own. First they counted the number of parking spots available in Larchmont’s two business districts. This came to approximately:

Next, the Larchmont police distributed questionnaires to business owners to assess the number of employees on duty. With about half of the businesses responding, the survey counted 850 individuals. Where do they park? The greatest percentage, 38%, used private parking; 37% parked on the streets and 20% in the lots.

The police also conducted a survey of parked vehicles and their license plates. According to Trustee Kolbert, often 85 to 90% of the vehicles parked in the business district were not owned by local residents.

“That is: Most of the parkers are not taxpayers in the Village of Larchmont,” said Trustee Kolbert.

“In a sense, the survey told us what we already know,” she said. “There are more people looking for parking than there are spots in the business district.” According to parking “rules of thumb” you know you have a problem if more than 85% of the spots are taken. Clearly, Larchmont has a problem, she said.

The Consultant

At this point, the group’s recommendation is to contract for a formal parking survey from Larry Berman, the former Parking Authority Commissioner for New York City and owner of the Florida-based consulting business Metered Parking. Depending on the number of streets to be surveyed, the consultant would charge between $5,000 and $10,000 to produce a comprehensive report and make recommendations about adding meters.

“We wanted to have an independent survey conducted by someone who is an expert,” explained Trustee Kolbert.

Among the study questions is: How long are people parking?

“We do want people to come and shop in Larchmont, but we don’t want people staying for hours,” explained Trustee Kolbert. “We want movement – that’s what creates the ability for more people to come to the shops."

The board would also be looking for recommendations on how metered parking in the business district might impact nearby residential neighborhoods. Would they get inundated with drivers looking for free parking?

“We don’t want to intentionally push the problem into residential areas,” said Trustee Mike Wiener. “We may need to change parking limits and signage,” suggested Trustee Jim Millstein.

“It’s something we want the expert to give us advice on, “ said Trustee Kolbert, “And also we want community feedback.”

Meters - The Third Rail

”Everyone screams this is the third rail of Village politics – don’t touch it!” said Mayor Liz Feld.

Clearly, though, the board is ready to touch the rail. “It would be irresponsible to ignore the potential revenue and to not look for a way to improve the parking situation,” said the mayor.

Trustee Millstein concurred and said, “At least anecdotally we’re hearing from other communities that if we put parking meters in there is a huge revenue opportunity.”

Residents looking to offer comments or ask questions on the hiring of the parking consultant will have an opportunity at the upcoming Village Board meeting on Monday, March 5.

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