New Rochelle Will Honor Vets with Exclusive Parking Perks

NEW ROCHELLE, NY (September 16, 2025) — The City Council of the City of New Rochelle is expected to adopt a local law adding Section 312-50.3 to the Code of the City of New Rochelle to designate parking spaces for current and former members of the United States Armed Forces.

The City Council finds that it is in the public interest to recognize and honor the service of Active-Duty Members, Reserve Members, and Veterans of the United States Armed Forces by establishing specially designated parking spaces for their use in municipally-owned parking facilities. This gesture reflects the City’s commitment to supporting military families and promoting a veteran- and military-friendly community.

Section 312-50.3 is added to read as follows:

As used in this section, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:

Development Commissioner: The Commissioner of the City of New Rochelle Department of Development.

Parks Commissioner: The Commissioner of the City of New Rochelle’s Parks & Recreation Department.

Veteran: A person who served in the active military, naval, air, or space service, and who was discharged or released therefrom.

Active Duty: Full-time duty in the United States Armed Forces, other than active-duty training.

Armed Forces: United States Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard, including the reserve components thereof.

Reserve Component: The term “reserve component” means, with respect to the Armed Forces, the Army Reserve, the Navy Reserve, the Marine Corps Reserve, the Air Force Reserve, the Coast Guard Reserve, the Army National Guard of the United States, and the Air National Guard of the United States.

A member of a reserve component of one of the Armed Forces.

Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, the Development Commissioner and the Parks Commissioner are hereby authorized, empowered, and directed to designate a minimum of one (1) parking space at each of the facilities identified below for the exclusive use of parking by current New Rochelle residents who are:

(1) Active-Duty Members of the United States Armed Forces;

(2) Reserve Members of the United States Armed Forces; or

(3) Veterans of the United States Armed Forces.

Eligible Facilities

Designated spaces shall be established and clearly marked within the following municipally owned or managed facilities:

• Bayard Street Lot

• Cameron Pier and Sharkey Horseshoe Pitching Lot

• City Hall Parking Lot

• City Park Lot

• Davenport Park Lot

• D’Onofrio Park Lot

• Five Islands Park Lot

• Fort Slocum Road Lot

• Guion Place Garage

• Highgarden Tower Garage

• Hudson Park and Marina Lot

• Lawn Avenue Lot

• Library Lot

• Library South Lot

• Maple Avenue Garage

• Marina Parking Deck (Upper)

• New Roc Garage

• New Rochelle Transit Center

• North Avenue at Thruway Parking Lot

• Prospect Street Lot

• The Encore Garage

• The Illustrator Garage

• The Skyline Parking Garage

To the extent practicable, spaces designated for parking by Active-Duty Members, Reserve Members, and Veterans of the United States Armed Forces shall be located in the immediate vicinity of those spaces designated for use by the handicapped. In no event, however, shall designated parking spaces be located closer to a facility entrance than those spaces designated for use by the handicapped.

The Development Commissioner and Parks Commissioner shall post appropriate signage and markings to allow for the enforcement of this article.

Eligibility for use of the designated space must be demonstrated by appropriate identification issued by the United States Department of Defense, the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, or other documentation approved by the City Clerk, and a hanging tag or sticker issued by the City of New Rochelle.

Use of designated spaces shall remain subject to all applicable parking fees, meters, and regulations in effect at the facility.

Prohibited parking: Any person who parks a vehicle in a parking space reserved for Active-Duty Members, Reserve Members, and Veterans of the United States Armed Forces without the proper credentials established in § 312-50.3(D) shall be deemed to be in violation of this article. The owner of such vehicle shall be responsible for the penalty imposed hereunder.

Penalty for offenses: Any person violating the provisions of this article shall be subject to a fine not to exceed $100.

Enforcement: Provisions of this article shall be enforced by the City of New Rochelle Police Department.

This article shall take effect 90 days after filing with the Secretary of State of the State of New York.

This article was drafted with the aid of Grok, an AI tool by xAI, under the direction and editing of Robert Cox to ensure accuracy and adherence to journalistic standards.