The Nyack Village Board has approved free parking on Thursday evenings from 6p to 9p beginning on July 13. The temporary program, slated to run through the 2009 holiday season, will conservatively cost the village about $10,000 in lost parking revenue. Merchants, who made up most of the 40 attendees at the meeting, enthusiastically supported the resolution. “It is a small gesture on the part of the Village Board to the merchants,” said Adam Lipson.
The move is designed to make Nyack a parking destination on Thursday nights. Store owners believe the extended trial period will give them an opportunity to advertise the promotion. “It has to be an event on a consistent basis to draw a regular following,” said Patti Aagaard, owner of the Reality Bites Cafe. Merchants promised to advertise the event on Rockland World Radio, the Chamber of Commerce Website and as part of a Better Homes and Garden ad in the NYT.
Village Trustee Richard Kavesh cited consultant Georges Jacquemart, author of a 2007 parking study of Nyack, saying the plan is doomed to fail. “It’s counterproductive and it doesn’t help the parking situation,” noting that people can tie up prime spots for up to six hours by parking at 3p and filling up the meters for three hours before prior to the free parking period. “It won’t create turnover and will only add to the problem,” he said.
The board first approved a more conservative plan permitting free parking on Thursdays limited to the lots adjacent to Riverspace from 6p to 9p. The Village Board immediately reversed itself to make all parking free after a South Broadway shopkeeper shouted “this doesn’t do anything for me.” After two board members apologized for not including this factor in their decision making, the board rescinded its vote and approved free parking for all spaces in Nyack.
Although merchants complained that customers won’t shop in Nyack because of the parking, Village Controller John Cincotta says parking revenues have been steadily rising each week indicating that people are coming to the village.
See also: Free Parking Has Hidden Costs, Merchants Need Free Parking Night
johngromada says:
I just don’t think people are going to say to themselves “gee there’s free parking in Nyack tonight- let’s go there! We can save ourselves 2 bucks!”
More likely the thinking will be: “it’s that free parking night in Nyack – that means we might have to park a little further away because there won’t be any available spots on Broadway”.
Maybe if all the bars gave away a drink free on Thursday – now THAT would attract people in to the village!
July 10th, 2009 at 9:04 pm
Richard Kavesh says:
Our parking consultant, Mr. Georges Jacquemart, would undoubtedly agree with John’s first two paragraphs — and maybe even the third!
Georges (whose firm, BFJ, was paid $35K to undertake our recent parking study) would surely agree with the Board’s first vote on Thursday (he proposed the idea) and disagree with the final outcome.
Whatever one’s opinion of this program, the fact is that it is scheduled to expire at the end of December.
Before this program is renewed, modified, etc., the board should invite Mr. Jacquemart back to Nyack for a one-night open forum whose focus, I would suggest, would be to discuss the pros and cons of variously suggested parking management techniques to stimulate business during these tough economic times.
Mr. Jacquemart knows Nyack very well and open-minded people could all learn a lot from him.
July 11th, 2009 at 6:50 am
JC Brotherhood says:
Good luck finding an open minded person amidst Nyacks Mobocracy Richard.
Same old lame old thinking will not move Nyack forward I am afraid. And, when we finally do build this panacea in cement it too will be mostly empty, like the stores with nothing to offer.
July 12th, 2009 at 8:42 am