One thought on “Commission Votes 4-1 To Recommend Holding Parking Permit Fees Flat

  1. The parking commission and town needs to come up with a real and actionable strategy on how to accommodate so many people on a waiting list for commuter spots (this is not good for any resident – especially residents who are looking to sell homes in particular outside of a walkable distance to the train, or for potential new residents looking to move here and commute). We clearly have market demand, yet we are not solving for it – nor have we solved for it over many years it appears based upon the waitlist. The commission has many options including creating a higher differential in rates between Talmadge Hill and the Lumberyard, looking at utilization of permits for infrequent users converting them use daily spots (or Talmadge Hill or to Boxcar) instead of holding a yearly Lumberyard permit, or my preferred option which is actually to build a garage at the Lumberyard so we can meet market demand and grow the town and commuting options. Also where does providing free parking in town come into play in the overall parking revenue / investment strategy? I am surprised that holding down rates on commuter parking is where we make a stand on cost increases for town residents – we have so many bigger financial issues on the plate ($1m annually for school start changes – $10m for new Library – $12m for the Police Department – millions for Waveny ADA etc. etc.). Lets get serious about solving commuter parking over the coming 12 months so it is not the bottleneck that it is now, as we all indirectly pay for this.

    Regarding the train schedule information as a comparison Darien has 8 departures that arrive in GCT before 9am – transit time is between 59 and 64 minutes. New Canaan has 4, with transit time between 68 and 76 minutes. We need parking to increase ridership, which will then justify increased and faster rail service, which will then grow real estate values and help pay for all these (needed) town investments.

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