Parking fund law stirs up controversy

Attracting businesses to Lynbrook has long been a challenge for the village, and some say the parking fund law that requires commercial building owners to pay $10,000 for each parking space they fall short of the minimum number of spaces the zoning code requires is being applied arbitrarily to businesses in the village.

Bill Gaylor, president of the village’s Chamber of Commerce, said he thinks enforcing the parking fund law unequally will inevitably lead to problems. “It’s really arbitrary on the part of the village,” Gaylor said. “Certain people that applied didn’t have to pay, yet some paid into it. It seems this law is being applied by the board at their discretion.”

Commercial buildings in the village are required to have a certain number of private, on-site parking spaces. The number is determined by the building’s use and size. Building owners who do not meet the requirements must appeal to the Board of Zoning Appeals for a parking variance. If an owner meets state requirements for a parking variance — that is, if the variance would not negatively impact the surrounding residents or businesses — the BZA can grant one, and the owner can pay $10,000 for every spot the board waives.

If the owner cannot pay the parking fund assessment, he or she can appeal to the village board, and the board can reduce or waive the extra fees under certain conditions. If the BZA denies the request for a parking variance, however, the case is over, and the applicant cannot appeal to the village board.

The parking fund will be used to help solve Lynbrook’s parking problems, officials say, citing a shortage of spaces for businesses and consumers downtown.

Mayor Brian Curran said that the construction of a parking garage or the purchase of about 300 spaces near the train station, currently owned by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, could reduce or eliminate the shortage.