The recommendations of the Downtown New Rochelle Parking Task Force were presented to the City Council several weeks ago. The proposed changes have generated a good deal of heated discussion among New Rochelle residents, especially those who live downtown and in the adjoining neighborhoods. Not everyone has seen the recommendations so, in the interest of an informed discussion, we offer them here courtesy of Ralph DiBart of the BID.
Click the link below to view/print the memo from Ralph DiBart and Chuck Strome to the Mayor and City Council.
Parking Task Force Recommendations 1/25/10
Ralph DiBart provided some background on the work of the Task Force.
Task Force members have spent the past year talking with various people downtown, exploring what other Westchester communities are doing, and most importantly tracking how parking is used. During the year some of Task Force members personally visited lots and observed on-street parking during the day, in the evening and even late at night on numerous occasions to see how parking was being used. The memo of recommendations addressed to the Mayor and the City Council summarizes the first recommendations being made to the Mayor and Council which are the subject of the current parking discussions. Since parking needs are constantly changing the Task Force will continue to investigate parking issues and make recommendations as appropriate. They will also monitor the impact that the changes which are finally made by the Mayor and Council to see how it is working.
Parking is a constantly evolving concern and there are no perfect proposals that will make everyone happy but I think that the changes that are being proposed have been seriously investigated by the Task Force and reasonably try to address as best a possible current issues and needs.
The Voting Public is Ignored Again
The BID does not represent the taxpaying residents of the city. The BID has created this parking problem by their support of high rise apartment buildings with inadequate parking. But the City Council continues to listen to the BID because the taxpayers apparently do not count. If anyone wonders why people are apathetic, this is a shining example. Council election by District apparently allows Council members to ignore everything but their district. I think there is only one Council member who always considers the whole city, Louis Trangucci. Anyone on this Council who supports this proposal must have no plans to run again.