Neighbors of Wild Ginger in Rockville Centre air parking concerns

A long-simmering parking dispute that has pitted neighbors of the new Wild Ginger restaurant, at Sunrise Highway and North Forest Avenue, against its management and the company operating its valet service was topic No. 1 at a packed meeting in Village Hall on Aug. 10.

"There won't be one resolution that will please all," warned Police Commissioner Charles Gennario, who, with Lt. Christopher Romance, led a 75-minute, sometimes heated discussion among 40 or so neighbors. "We don't have unlimited resources, and my choice in this matter will not be easy," Gennario said.

At issue is what local residents described as poor and dangerous driving and parking by valet employees — cars left too close to driveways or in front of fire hydrants, high-speed driving not far from children playing in the street, risky U-turns, failure to stop at stop signs and disregard for posted two-hour parking limits.

Littering by valet drivers was also mentioned, as were concerns that emergency vehicles cannot negotiate streets lined with cars. The worst time, neighbors said, is from 7 to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday evenings, although weeknights are also a problem, many said.

Another major complaint, voiced by residents of Vincent Street, North Kensington Avenue and North Forest Avenue, concerned the lack of adequate parking close to the restaurant, whose property has been the site of several other establishments over the years, including Lenny's Clam Bar and Donato’s. Municipal Parking Field 12, across Sunrise Highway, was mentioned as a possible parking area.

"The whole situation is certainly a mess," said Mickey Clark, a North Forest Avenue resident. "Fixing it properly requires respect and decency for the people living in the area. I would prefer if the valet service was removed. The previous restaurants at the location never even had valet parking."

Representatives of Wild Ginger, including its manager, Joyce Li, and the owners of Unique Valet Services, Ryan Skei and Anthony Monaco, were on hand to hear and respond to the complaints.

"The traffic light on Sunrise Highway runs nearly two minutes long," Skei said of the retrieval time for diners' cars that are parked in the municipal field and the safety issues for his employees. "There are eight lanes for drivers to run across and I can't risk the safety of my drivers. We've tried this idea and it's not workable, but we'll continue to look for the next-best possible solution."

Some suggestions included the use of walkie-talkies, a sort of relay system with a valet parker stationed in the field, a parking map car locator, extra valet staff and extra police patrols during peak dining hours.

With Mayor Mary Bossart, Trustee Ed Oppenheimer and Building Superintendent Daniel Casella listening, Gennario reiterated that it would be his decision on how to resolve some of these issues, and he won't make everyone happy.

North Forest is a public road, he said, warning that posting additional parking restrictions in the area would affect both the valet parkers and residents who are already complaining about a shortage of available spots. Likewise, he rejected the idea of increasing police patrols in the area.

"I want to do some research," Gennario said. "I do have your concerns. There are things I will be able to address. I can solve some of your problems. I will try to do something."

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