Not raising the parking rates, for now

Faced with discontentment from the business people represented by the Cedarhurst Business Improvement District (BID), the Cedarhurst board of trustees led by Mayor Benjamin Weinstock decided at Monday’s meeting to delay implementing a rate hike of the parking meters in the village’s 10 lots.

Village officials wanted to raise the rate from 25 cents an hour to 25 cents for every 30 minutes matching the rate for the street parking spaces.
“We will give it some thought and see what if anything we do,” Weinstock said.

“Hopefully what we accomplish will be good for everyone.”
Several BID Members including Chairman Steve Schneider attended the meeting. Schneider presented a petition signed by 250 people, he said, that opposed the rate hike. The concerns focused the possibility of losing customers and that the village was doubling up too quickly on change just having installed new meters.

“It is certainly the perception of shoppers is that’s why they were instituted and that is what they are going to do, increase village revenue, “ Schneider said about the new meters. “So I don’t think it’s politically wise or shopper-friendly to hit the customer right now with what will be perceived as a second increase. What it will do is increase the rep that Cedarhurst has for years of being a place that is overly aggressive in ticketing and over zealous about generating revenue from parking meters.”

The contract with Municipal Parking Systems (MPS) guarantees Cedarhurst $2 million, the mayor said previously Should revenue fall below that figure the company makes up the difference. The cost of maintaining and operating the meters is shared between the village and MPS, he added.

Weinstock defended the decision to raise the rates after installation of the new meters as a “rip the Band-Aid off and do it at one time” type of thing so the sting is not so bad. The mayor also said that the village takes its responsibility to maintain the lot “very seriously” and spends a lot of money to do that. He added that a preliminary plan to redesign lot No. 1 and possibly create nearly 35 more spaces would cost $500,000.

Tania Hammer who works in a ladies apparel store in very busy lot No. 1, where kosher supermarket Gourmet Glatt is, said that is she annoyed that she has to run out and place more money in the meter, while she is busy with a customer. Hammer had a suggestion for the trustees. “For people who work you can have a sticker on the vehicle and we can be left alone to do our business which profits you without paying a meter,” she said. “It would help my customers without worrying about parking.”

Matrimonial lawyer Deborah Kaminetzky said her employees are not too happy because of the proposed increase and she is looking into office space in Woodmere, where the parking is free. Weinstock said the Town of Hempstead that oversees parking in Woodmere is looking at the parking meters Cedarhurst installed. Town officials said that there are no plans to implement parking meters at this time.

Steve Silverman, the owner of Morton’s Army Navy store, said that people “are still processing the new meters” and that too much change close together is too much and there could be pushback that shoppers decide not to come toCedarhurst. “I would hate to see something like this backfire on us,” Silverman said. “Wait a little bit and let everyone digest what is going on now.”