The planned closure of a Valley Stream parking lot continues to raise concerns among commuters, who say they were not given enough notice and are now facing higher parking fees while having fewer options for getting to the Long Island Rail Road station.
Parking Field 26, near Hicks Street and West Valley Stream Boulevard, is expected to close this fall to make way for construction of The Alder at Valley Stream, a 132-unit senior housing development. The closure will eliminate 156 parking spaces that have long been used by nonresident commuters.
For residents who live in Valley Stream but outside the incorporated village, the change has added to their frustration. They pay an annual fee for village parking privileges but say they were not notified that Field 26 would be closing when they renewed their permits.
Melanie Colon, a Valley Stream resident who lives outside the incorporated village, said she renewed her parking permit this year without knowing the lot would soon be unavailable. The annual fee also increased from $600 to $650.
“I understand that they’re going to be building senior housing, and that’s a good thing,” Colon said. “But the way we’re being treated goes beyond unfair.”
Colon said she and other commuters learned about the closure through word of mouth and began reaching out to village officials and local representatives for answers.
She said the timing was particularly frustrating because commuters had already renewed their permits before learning that one of the lots they rely on would be eliminated.
“If I knew the lot was not available, I would have looked for other options,” Colon said.
Mirella Bonilla, another Valley Stream resident who lives outside the incorporated village, said she also learned about the closure from other commuters rather than directly from the village.
Bonilla said she had asked about rumors of changes to the parking lot about two years ago and was told there was nothing to worry about. When she later renewed her permit and learned of the planned closure, she said she was surprised that there had been no direct notification.
The loss of Field 26 is especially concerning during the morning rush, commuters said.
Colon said Field 8, another lot available to nonresident permit holders and one of the closest to the train station, can fill by about 7:15 or 7:30 a.m. Once that happens, commuters must look farther away for parking.
She estimated that the Hendrickson Pool parking lot and another lot near the railroad trestles are about 0.8 miles from the station.
“For commuters, you rush in the morning,” Colon said. “In the winter, it’s cold. It’s dark in the morning. It’s dark at night.”
Bonilla said the closure could add significant time to her morning commute, particularly because some of the remaining lots require drivers to enter and exit from streets farther from the train station.
She also raised concerns about commuters who have work schedules that do not allow for extra travel time.
“Certain jobs, you need to be on time,” Bonilla said.
Residents have suggested several possible alternatives, including allowing nonresident permit holders to use additional parking areas, permitting longer stays in metered lots, creating designated street parking or providing a shuttle to the train station.
Colon said she understands that the village is making changes to accommodate a new senior housing development but wants commuters to have options that allow them to continue using the train without adding substantial time to their morning routines.
“You’ve got to meet us partway,” she said.
Bonilla said the issue is also complicated by the difference between parking fees for residents of the incorporated village and those who live elsewhere in Valley Stream.
Village Deputy Treasurer Tom McAleer said the difference in parking fees is tied to the taxes paid by residents of the incorporated village.
“They don’t pay village tax,” McAleer said of nonresidents. “Village residents pay village tax, so that’s why they don’t pay as much as nonresidents.”
McAleer said he considers the nonresident parking fee moderate compared with fees in surrounding villages. He also said the village is looking at how parking can be adjusted as the needs of the community change.
The village has said it plans to repurpose an existing parking lot to replace some of the capacity lost when Field 26 closes. The village’s current parking information lists Field 26 as closing in fall 2026 and identifies Fields 8, 19 and 32 as nonresident commuter parking fields.
McAleer said in a prior interview that the village does not want nonresident commuters to be left without options.
“We never want to leave out our nonresident friends, and we will never abandon them,” McAleer said. “Accommodations will be made.”
For Colon and Bonilla, however, the immediate concern remains where they will park once Field 26 closes.
Colon said she hopes village officials will consider alternatives that account for commuters who leave early in the morning and return after long workdays.
