East Hampton Village's plan to establish paid parking zones at Main and Two Mile Hollow Beaches and its downtown Reutershan and Schenck parking lots had a virtual public hearing Friday before the village board. License plate-reading technology and an online payment service are planned in future to implement and enforce paid parking.
According to the new law, separate parking zones will be established for the Reutershan and Schenck lots, the Main Beach and Two Mile Hollow lots, and the long-term parking spaces in the lot off Lumber Lane and on Railroad Avenue.
In the Reutershan and Schenck parking lots, the proposed law would allow three hours of paid parking daily between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. from May 15 through Dec. 31. While it provides the legal framework to charge for parking, it does not address many of the specific regulations previously discussed by the board such as fees, exemptions, and restricting the time frame to May 15 through Sept. 15.
Those will be included in a separate law, said Beth Baldwin, the village attorney. The draft law does note, however, that East Hampton Village Fire Department and Ambulance Association volunteers who work in the commercial district could request exemption from the fees.
Village residents with beach permits would also be exempt. East Hampton Town residents with town beach permits would be allowed two hours of free parking; all other visitors would be charged $2 per hour.
When parked in a paid parking zone, the law says that "the operator of the vehicle shall, either upon entering the space or upon the expiration of any permitted free parking period, immediately make payment [with] an electronic communication device."
In December, the village hired ParkMobile, a company that provides a smartphone app-based payment system, to collect parking fees. For those who don't have a smartphone or prefer not to use an app, the company will also accept payments via telephone.
After time expires, "a parked vehicle must move a minimum of 20 feet" in order to start a new time period, according to the law.
The existing code allows for 15 minutes of free parking in spaces other than those designated for the handicapped along the eastern and northern perimeter of the Reutershan lot between April 1 and Dec. 31. The proposed law would increase that time to 30 minutes.
Barbara Gubbins, the owner of the Gubbins sporting goods store in the Reutershan lot, asked board members whether trucks dropping off supplies at the store would have to pay a fee. Mayor Jerry Larsen assured her that loading zones, and 30-minute parking spots, would be available for free.
Donna McDonald, an owner of Park Place Wines and Liquors, was concerned that customers from Sag Harbor, Sagaponack, and Bridgehampton would stop patronizing the store because of the parking fee. Those customers tend to shop in the morning to avoid traffic, she said, and asked the board to consider changing the daily start time for charging from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Rose Brown, a trustee, was in favor of that idea, and Mr. Larsen agreed. He asked Ms. Baldwin to amend the law.
A third caller had questions about how parking enforcement would be able to tell which vehicles are owned by village and town residents. Ms. Baldwin said the village would have the information on hand for those who applied for beach permits, and those without permits could register their vehicles with the village on its website.
Arthur Graham, a trustee, reiterated his opposition to paid parking. "I think it will have a very chilling effect on our merchants," he said.
The public hearing will continue on April 16; written comments can be emailed to village board members.
In another change to parking regulations, the board agreed to eliminate hourly parking limits at the underused municipal parking lot on Osborne Lane. Only overnight parking will be prohibited.
Seeking to make room on the eastern edge of Herrick Park for a farmers market, which will operate from spring through fall, the board agreed to remove a hedge and chain-link fence along the border of the park and the Reutershan lot. A Department of Public Works crew removed the barriers Wednesday.
Last fall, the village held a weekly farmers market in the northeast corner of the lot. "It was a great success," said Sandra Melendez, a trustee.
In addition to getting rid of the hedge and fence, a wall used for tennis practice will be taken down and an associated section of blacktop will be removed, said David Collins, the superintendent of public works. "This is a project that would have been done anyway with a park renovation," he said. The area will be planted with grass on which vendors can set up their booths. The project should be done by early April, Mr. Collins said.
Village Police Chief Michael Tracey gave a presentation on his department's state-mandated police reform plan, and the board voted to adopt it, as reported elsewhere in this issue.
Drew Bennett, the village engineer, presented a proposal to install 18 to 20 beach lockers in the former Coast Guard Station garage at Georgica Beach. Like those at Main Beach, the lockers would be available to rent. Rental fees were not discussed, but Mr. Larsen said they would be used to pay for the restoration of the building, which he said was in "great disrepair."
The board accepted a $97,771 bid from Carter-Melence Inc. for the first phase of repairs to the Osborn-Jackson House at 101 Main Street, which is the headquarters of the East Hampton Historical Society.
Members also approved a license agreement with Saunders Broadcasting Corp. to provide free Wi-Fi at village beaches, and approved fee increases for tent permits, certificates of occupancy, and road openings as well. Tent permit fees were set at $100 for a tent smaller than 1,500 square feet, $150 for one between 1,500 and 3,600 square feet, $200 for one between 3,600 to 10,000 square feet, $250 for one between 10,000 and 15,000 square feet, and $500 for one between 15,000 and 50,000 square feet. The cost of obtaining a certificate of occupancy will increase from $150 to $250, and a permit to open a village road for construction will increase from $150 to $250.
A proposal for the temporary installation of pedestrian and bicycling safety signs was approved. The board also scheduled a public hearing on a law that will allow restaurants and food stores to apply for temporary and seasonal outdoor dining permits, and another to make monthly nonresident beach parking permits available for purchase, for April 16.
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Correction: Due to an editing error, an earlier version of this article included incorrect information about the village's paid parking plan. The village is proposing to establish paid parking zones in the Reutershan and Schenck lots, the Main Beach and Two Mile Hollow lots, and the longterm parking spaces in the lot off of Lumber Lane and on Railroad Avenue. Parking on Main Street and Newtown Lane would remain free.
