For the first time in at least two decades, town officials are expecting to see zero waitlist for what traditionally has been the most coveted commuter parking permit in New Canaan.
As of last week, there were just 25 people left on the waitlist for the “Lumberyard Lot,” according to Parking Manager Stacy Miltenberg. The 298-space lot abuts the train station on Elm Street downtown, a far more desirable location for commuters than “outer” municipal lots such as Center School and Locust Avenue.
“It’s so surprising, it’s never been like this,” Miltenberg told members of the Parking Commission during their regular meeting, held March 5 at Town Hall and via videoconference.
On recent afternoons, Miltenberg said, parking officials counted 40 to 60 open spaces in the Lumberyard.
There’s “a very good chance” that the waitlist vanishes entirely, she said.
“I will let all those 25 people know and see how many people take it and then after that, I don’t know,” Miltenberg said. “Because for 20 years, they’ve always had a waitlist.”
Like other bedroom communities, New Canaan saw demand for commuter parking diminish amid the pandemic. Flexible work schedules, work-from-home options and other changes have seen the trend continue.
Miltenberg said she’s interested to see what will happen from here, adding, “it’s a good thing, it’s not a bad thing.”
“I’m just not sure who’s parking, when they’re parking,” she said. “I hear people are going back five days a week, but we’re really not seeing that.”
The comments came during Miltenberg’s regular update to the appointed body.
Commissioner Kevin Karl said he’s seen busy days in the Lumberyard Mondays through Thursdays this year. Miltenberg said that even so, it’s not like it used to be where “we would even have people adding on spaces because of lack of availability.”
Commissioners asked whether the town normally sees a change in use as the spring thaw arrives (no), whether March private school vacations are affecting use (maybe) or even the cold (we’ll see).
Commission Chair Nancy Bemis asked what other towns are seeing. Miltenberg said she spoke to her counterpart in Darien and “she’s also seeing a little bit lighter of a commute.”
“They have availability in their lots to move down a little bit more on the waitlist, as well,” she said.
It took me seven years on the waitlist to get my lumberyard spot.
It’s odd that even with a congestion fee in NYC, people are choosing to drive rather than use the train. I get it for folks who work downtown but for midtown or uptown professionals, it’s hard to see the benefit of dealing with traffic, tolls, fees, parking dents and suspension wear and tear.
Or perhaps, the lack of a wait list implies that spouses are dropping off their other halves and don’t need the parking lot.