Dear Neighbors,
At last week’s work session meeting, the Board of Trustees explored a persistent problem: parking regulations on the Village streets adjacent or close to the Croton River., specifically Truesdale, Nordica, Cedar Lane, and a small section of Old Post Rd South and Morningside.
In the summer of 2019, this area of the Village experienced a very high incidence of non-residents attempting to access the Croton River, resulting in multiple incidences of trespassing, large crowds at and on the Croton River, noise and garbage. To address these issues, in 2020 the Village instituted parking restrictions on these streets that restricted parking on the weekends but also affected residents of these streets for their own Cars and guests.
The Village also requested Home Rule legislation from the NYS Legislature which would allow us to establish a Residential Parking System on these public streets. In NYS, parking regulations for public streets cannot give residents special permission to park on streets otherwise designated as non-parking streets unless the municipality has received permission from the Legislature to establish a Residential Parking System. A prior request to the Legislature in 2020 failed to pass so the Village set some new parking regulations on the streets that affected everyone – both residents and non-residents. These regulations created hardships for residents by limiting their own and their guests parking, sometimes resulting in parking tickets and fines.
The Village is now considering asking the NYS Legislature once again to pass the same Home Rule legislation, allowing it to create a Residential Parking System, giving more options for residents of these streets. Given the State legislative calendar, it is unlikely that any such law, if passed, would be in effect prior to the Fall of 2023.
As a result, the Village is considering what steps to take to improve the parking situation on these streets. As noted by Mayor Pugh, as well as several of the speakers, there are no easy answers to the anticipated summer parking situation. Many options are under consideration such as setting certain hours of no-parking, prohibiting certain days for all on -street parking, adding signage, increasing patrols and gate attendants, etc. The Village does not have the option of issuing guest passes. Also, whatever parking rules are implemented will also affect the ability of all Village residents who wish to visit this area.
While recognizing that there is not a solution that will make all residents happy, the Village is open to hearing additional suggestions to help alleviate the summer parking problem. A survey will be sent out to residents of the affected streets in the next week or so. An analysis of past parking violations, by the hours they occurred, will also be done to determine the time frame when on-street parking in the area presents the biggest problem.
Recognizing that there is no perfect answer, the Village is seeking to find the least intrusive parking regulations. In combination with regular monitoring, the goal is to help residents of these streets enjoy their homes during the summer and prevent over-crowding of access points along the Croton River as well as prevent trespassing of private properties along the river. Based on the information received, and studying past information, the Board hopes to settle on a viable solution in the next few weeks in advance of the summer months ahead.
Ann Gallelli
The Croton Democrats 