Call for lower rates, longer maximums
Some retailers on Main Street in Cold Spring are pushing back against parking fees and rules that went into effect on April 5.
In a letter dated Wednesday (May 1) and addressed to the Cold Spring Village Board, Grace Lo, the owner of Supplies for Creative Living, and Cadah Goulet, the owner of Poor George, outlined concerns and suggested changes. Lo and Goulet are co-chairs of the Main Street Committee of the Cold Spring Chamber.
More than 30 Main Street retailers signed the May 1 letter, which advocates measures the committee believes are “easily and quickly implementable and would provide equivalent revenue to the village, a better experience for locals and visitors, and much-needed relief to our local businesses.”
The village’s recently adopted 2024-25 budget anticipates $284,596 in revenue from parking meters on Main Street and the Fair Street municipal lot.
The Main Street Committee’s recommendations include:
■Lower the $4-per-hour meter rate to $1.50 or $2.50 per hour. The committee said merchants are open to increasing the number of metered days, which are currently Friday, Saturday and Sunday, if the hourly rate is reduced, a move they say would make up for the revenue lost by a decrease in hourly rates.
■Extend the allowable parking time beyond the three-hour limit. The letter cites “overwhelming” agreement among customers that three hours is inadequate for Main Street visits.
■Issue permits to Main Street employees, allowing them to park in residents-only parking areas, which the letter states are underused.
■ Add meters for motorcycles in irregularly sized parking spaces, increasing revenue.
In a survey of 137 customers conducted by Main Street retailers, 70 percent of the respondents were locals. They rated lower rates as the No. 1 change they support. More “quick-stop” spots was second and ,more payment kiosks and increasing the three-hour time limit were ranked third and fourth, respectively.
According to the committee, the parking rules have hurt shopkeepers at the cash register.
“The effect has been felt immediately by Main Street businesses, with an average marked decline in revenue of 20 to 25 percent this April compared to last year,” Lo and Goulet wrote. “A continuation of this trend will undoubtedly lead to a very different looking Main Street at the end of the year.”
The letter wasn’t discussed at the May 1 Village Board meeting, but Mayor Kathleen Foley commented the next day in an email.
“The board is grateful for thoughtful feedback of the merchants who signed on to the letter, and for the effort they made to collect data points and recommendations,” she wrote. “We will discuss as a board in a future meeting and determine a time to continue this conversation with those merchants.”
Chamber President Nat Prentice said via email that the letter “speaks for itself,” adding that the unified response from merchants included “constructive content” presented in “a respectful and collegial tone.”
My wife and I frequent Cold Spring for shopping, eating and kinesiologist appointments. On a recent weekend, we spent around $1,400 in the town, shopping for gifts, items and dinner. We paid $7.50 to park. We may reconsider visits in the future.
Thank you for visiting and shopping in Cold Spring. I’m confused by your statement: You spent $1,400 on fun things and services and you’re upset about $7.50 for parking, enough to reconsider visiting again? I may misunderstand the comment.
Sometimes problems have solutions that only make things worse. The parking situation on Main Street might be one of them. Based on April revenue figures, it sounds like the village may have substantially harmed the economic viability of its Main Street businesses. If we start getting a lot of empty storefronts on Main Street, all our taxes will have to go up.
Talk about being penny-wise and pound-foolish. I would say that describes the Cold Spring powers that be who thought these parking meters would be a good idea. First of all, Cold Spring is what it is: a beautiful and charming village on the Hudson with wonderful shops and eateries that have long been a destination and tourist attraction in the Hudson River Valley. In most places, those features would be considered a plus and desirable, especially the incredible Main Street that is the envy of towns in the tri-state area. That being said, for as long as I can remember, the native Springers and residents were always complaining about the tourists and the businesses, the parking, the inconvenience, etc. Funny, but they never complained about all the revenue that said businesses brought into the town and county such that their taxes are substantially lower than neighboring Putnam Valley. Having owned a shop on Main Street for nearly 10 years, I think that free or cheap parking is an absolute must if the businesses are to thrive and survive. Due to online shopping, especially Amazon, brick-and-mortar stores have taken a huge hit in recent times and it’s incredible that so many Cold Spring merchants have managed to survive, let alone make a profit. Clearly village officials did not look at the big picture or the effect that this would have on the business owners when they decided to impose luxury fees for parking. Let’s hope that board members will come to… Read more »
There is plenty of free parking. Kemble is just one option; it’s empty all week. The Metro-North lot is free on weekends. I’m surprised the Chamber of Commerce doesn’t have an ad on a train or two: Main Street is just steps from the train station. Not many towns can make that boast.
As a former member of the Parking Committee, I am heartened by the constructive tone of the merchants’ letter. Hearing the feedback is critically important. The village could indeed lower the hourly rate, expand the number of days subject to enforcement and increase the time allotted from three to four hours. Longer than that may encourage one of the behaviors being discouraged, which is parking on village streets to hike.
It seems inappropriate for employees to get resident permits, and that may not even be workable, given New York State law. But protecting Main Street businesses is vital, as is the need to ensure quality of life for residents. It was said that the initial set of regulations would function as a test case. Now let’s review the feedback from having run the test.
It’s too bad that the Marathon brownfield Superfund site [on Kemble Avenue] was preemptively rubber-stamped by the Environmental Protection Agency and recently rezoned. It could have been a parking lot. Housing and light industrial doesn’t belong on contaminated sites, nor do I trust EPA assessments that the site leaches only negligible amounts of cadmium and other heavy metals into the groundwater. I wouldn’t live there for free.
I’ve lived in Philipstown for 15 years, and consider Cold Spring to be my hometown. Patronizing Main Street is part of my family’s routine, and supporting the businesses on Main Street is important to us.
What is also important is inclusivity. Parking fees of $4 an hour ($4.45 with tax), payable only by credit card and smartphone (with cellular data to download and use the app), makes Cold Spring inaccessible to many people. A $3 coffee date is now a $7 coffee date. An $18 yoga class is now a $24 yoga class. Browsing the books at Split Rock, and visiting with community members on the sidewalk, is now only for those willing and able to pay.
There is free parking available if you’re willing and able to walk. However, not everyone has the ability to make that choice. Try bringing kids and a stroller down the stairs under the train tracks and back up again.
These new high parking fees feel elitist. They are obnoxious and will hurt our local businesses, residents and the diversity of visitors we welcome in our town.
Americans truly feel it’s their God-given right to park for free, always, directly in front of their destination. It’s childish, really.
I’ve decided to curtail my shopping and dining excursions to Cold Spring until the dust settles. [via Facebook]
My friends and I are retired. We love to go to Cold Spring mid-week, walk around and check out the stores and buy a sandwich in one of the shops. I guess we won’t be doing this, which is sad. [via Facebook]
Good news: The meters are only in effect on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
We went to Main Street on a Sunday. We waited 10 minutes for two people ahead of us to figure out how to pay, had a laugh, paid for an hour but were paranoid to not be back in time so we didn’t go far. The “enforcer” was active. We bought a bottle of water and left. I don’t see meters as a positive for your business community. [via Facebook]
I was in Cold Spring two weeks ago but I won’t go back because of the parking meters. With a maximum of only three hours, you’re guaranteed to get a ticket. I refuse to pay $4 an hour and get a ticket on top of that when I’m trying to spend my money in Cold Spring. The following weekend I went to Beacon and had a splendid time and spent a lot more money. The parking was free.
Cold Spring will still get tourists from New York City arriving by Metro-North for hiking and visiting, and even more so if the Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail goes through. However, I have zero interest in going back, and I live nearby. In every store I went into, every customer complained. [via Facebook]
I live in Beacon and owned a business on Main Street; it was a drag when people parked all day in front of my shop because there are no meters. We have municipal lots but there isn’t much incentive to use them. Some people will be turned off but customers are more likely to find spots. Many of my customers came on weekdays, when it was quieter, but come summer, it was a zoo all week. Locals avoided coming into town.
I wish the Fjord Trail would stop telling us how great it will be to add even more people. Local people who have invested in our communities by buying homes and supporting our schools and businesses should come first. Meters will help, but $4 an hour is too much. [via Facebook]
The response from our customers has been nothing but negative, whether locals or visitors. Cold Spring now looks like every side street in midtown Manhattan, with a thousand signs to read. [via Facebook]
I can’t believe we let this come to pass. Where were the folks who always say, “Don’t change anything in my bucolic town”? [via Facebook]
Could someone start a bus or trolley service? Although there would have to be a parking lot nearby, would that be cheaper? Or promote taking the train to Cold Spring instead of a car. [via Facebook]
I can’t stand how our quaint, historic town is now street signs ad nauseum and blocks of painted color on the asphalt. [via Facebook]
You can’t please everyone. I commend the Village Board for taking on an issue that has been a problem for years. I know it will listen and adjust. I am so happy to be able to park on my street on the weekends. Those resident permits are the best. [via Facebook]
This is just another tax. It feels like Cold Spring is turning into a city in Westchester County. It changes the vibe. [via Instagram]
Many village residents are loving our parking permits and seeing empty spaces where people can park on Route 9D, at Metro-North and on Northern Avenue. [via Facebook]
I am a big supporter of our village shopkeepers, spending locally whenever possible. At the same time, I support the new parking program. However, I do not suffer whining from visitors about paying a few bucks to park or who tell the village what it should do. They are not village constituents and are free to shop elsewhere. Those visitors who threaten boycotts over parking fees will not be missed.
Not for nothing, the program is a big winner for the village coffers — sorely needed revenue for a village impoverished by the county’s parsimoniousness.