Downtown parking must be balanced, forum speakers say
City officials are being asked to find a solution to parking near the Rondout Creek waterfront that will provide sufficient free spaces to attract tourists while discouraging the long-term use of spaces that can frustrate visitors.
Comments were made Thursday during a parking forum at City Hall that attracted 15 people. Several said the municipal parking lot on West Strand is filled with vehicles belonging to boaters rather than by those patronizing local businesses.
“At least a third, maybe half, of them are not Kingston residents and they like to weekend on their boat,” Kingston resident Robb Engle said. “So if there isn’t a way to set up a permit structure for them that’s related to their slip rental fee, which is quite expensive, then they’re just not going to rent those slips.”
Slip rates at the marina are $58 per foot for a season, with short-term fees of $10 for up to four hours and additional $2 per foot per day for vessels up to 50 feet long and $2.50 per foot for vessels up to 60 feet long.
Engle, who rents a slip, said additional costs if the parking lot becomes metered would discourage people from using the marina.
“I think what needs to happen is in conjunction with us being able to rent the slips ... we be issued a parking permit for that specific lot,” he said.
Alderwoman Deborah Brown, R-Ward 9, agreed there is a conflict between the use of the parking lot and encouraging tourism. She noted that marina users have people meet them or rent vehicles during extended stays.
“If you notice the boats and the registration ... we’re drawing people from out of the state,” she said. “If they do decide to have a family member bring them a car, you’re charging them for the car. That’s not very welcoming.”
Other concerns raised at Thursday’s forum included unhappiness with vehicles in Uptown Kingston being ticketed within one minute of a meter’s time expiring.
“I think the Uptown parking situation has become predatory,” said city resident Michael Montella.
Mayor Steve Noble said noted the city recently started letting drivers use a smartphone app to add time to a meter remotely and to transfer unused time to another meter in Kingston.
Thursday’s session was the second of three planned meetings about city parking. The last one is scheduled for 6 p.m., Sept. 6 at the Hudson River Maritime Museum at 50 Rondout Landing.
Noble expects to incorporate suggestions made at the forums into a parking plan he will present later this year.
Already this year, the city has doubled the rates for parking in metered spaces in the Uptown, Midtown and Rondout business districts, and it is about to start charging for parking in most of the municipal lots.