This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Politics & Government

Residents Want a Park, Not Parking Lot at Rye Town

Concerned residents are trying to alleviate parking issues at Rye Town Park

Elected officials and concerned citizens have banded together to tackle the often-criticized parking issue at Rye Town Park, which many say threatens the safety of Rye residents in addition to causing an eyesore.

The park has 300 paved parking spots but, according to park officials, up to 1,000 people visit the park on a hot summer day. A survey conducted by park officials last summer revealed that at least 70 percent of visitors to the park are non-residents.

Once the paved lot is full, drivers are directed to park on a large grassy area also used by pedestrians and picnickers.

Find out what's happening in Ryewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"We all agree that we don't need to turn our park into a parking lot and that, in effect, is what's happened over time," said Rye City Mayor Doug French. "We all believe in open and affordable access to our beach, but that doesn't mean our residents have to be without a park for three months out of the year," he added, referring to the busy summer months.

Critics say that the lawn was never intended for parking; there are no barriers, outlined parking spaces, or lights, and car exhaust can harm the park's flora and fauna.

Find out what's happening in Ryewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

A task force of concerned residents and elected officials has been instrumental in pushing the issue forward.

The group has even launched a web site, parknotparkinglot.org, to voice complaints about traffic and safety issues at the park. Dozens or residents have left comments on the web site's message board, voicing opinions ranging from making Rye Town a resident-only beach to finding sustainable ways to transport visitors to the park.

The Rye Town Park Commission was scheduled to hold a public hearing this week to address residents' concerns. However, Wednesday's snowstorm led to the meeting being cancelled, so commission members—including Rye Town Supervisor Joseph Carvin, Rye Mayor Doug French and Rye Brook Mayor Joan Feinstein—and task force members held a conference call Wednesday night to discuss preliminary findings.

In an interview earlier this week, task force member Kristina Bicher told Patch that one alternative to dealing with the parking issue would be "raising parking pricing in line with peer beaches."

Rye Town Park currently charges a $7 fee for residents to park on weekdays, an $8 fee to park on weekends and $$10 on major summer holidays.

On Wednesday's call, Bicher said parking fees should increase, but that non-residents should pay a significantly higher rate to park.

"We are suggesting a clear differential between the rates that non-residents pay and the rates that residents pay," she said. "We feel that that's very justified."

Bicher said, on average, nearby beaches in Long Island and Fairfield County, Conn. charge $21.60 for weekend, non-resident parking. The task force's recommendation is in line with that average, with a suggested $20 weekend parking rate for non-residents.

Bicher also suggested erecting parking barriers that would extend from the northwestern end of the duck pond to the stone wall of the park. The barrier would still allow for a third of the park to be used for parking and a maximum of 500 –550 cars, Bicher said.

However, one of the logistical problems involved is capping the number of parking spots without capping revenue. The park posts losses each year, and turning away non-residents in the summer would only add to the deficit, which totaled about $90,000 in 2009.

To combat this potential problem, recommendations include creating a shuttle bus to the park and using the under-utilized Playland Pool parking lot.

Mayor French told Patch this week that he supports the idea of making the Playland shuttle, which takes visitors to the amusement park from the nearby Metro North station, available for visitors to Rye Town Park and beach.

"We already have a system in place, it's just a question of coordinating it better," he said.

Bishop Nowotnik, the Town of Rye's director of purchasing and confidential secretary to the town supervisor, said Wednesday that most of the park's parking revenue comes from people who don't have permits, which are usually reserved for residents or people in nearby communities. About 91 percent of the revenue is from non-permit parking while only 9 percent is from permits, he said.

In total, Rye Town Park's entire revenue is mostly comprised of revenue from the beach, with 68 percent generated from the beach and 32 percent from parking.

Rye Town Supervisor Joe Carvin said there is a consensus that the park should accommodate fewer cars, but that the town's challenge in addressing the parking issue will be "trying to find the right balance as fudiciaries," and making sure the park can generate revenue.

Bicher said that the task force's goal is to make sure people can enjoy the park. Cost shouldn't be a barrier.

"The task force desires that the revenue grades are as low as the municipalities can afford," she said. "We have no desire to make this park or the beach really expensive to the same people who are already supporting it with their tax dollars."

The commission has rescheduled the public hearing on the parking issue for March 8 at 6 p.m. The meeting will take place at the Town of Rye offices on 10 Pearl Street in Port Chester.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?