Greenwich Selectmen Consider Plan To Help With Parking Issues Downtown

GREENWICH, CT — Greenwich is considering a proposal from the town's parking services department that is expected to help alleviate parking concerns on Grigg Street and the surrounding area.

Greenwich Police Deputy Chief Kraig Gray, who also leads parking services, appeared before the Board of Selectmen Thursday morning to request the conversion of five 12-hour parking spots in the Grigg Street municipal parking lot to 30-minute maximum "express" spots.

"This adjustment would help alleviate common complaints from customers about the lack of short-term parking in the downtown area, as well as reduced instances of improper parking, and I anticipate these changes will make some difference," Gray said. "While this change may not completely resolve the downtown parking challenges, it represents a positive step towards addressing community concerns."

Parking services looked at the issue following resident complaints about a long-standing problem of illegal parking and public safety issues on Grigg Street.

Grigg Street is a small one way street that connects to Arch Street. It's the final right-hand turn before the end of Greenwich Avenue, and it features a mix of commercial and residential buildings.

In May, several Grigg Street residents spoke before the selectmen and expressed some frustration about people blocking driveways and parking illegally to run into a store or pick up food.

First Selectman Fred Camillo said he recently met with several residents who were supportive of suggestions to change parking behavior.

The Grigg Street municipal lot was chosen because of its proximity to Greenwich Avenue, Gray said. The conversion of a handful of spots to express parking would be cost-effective.

"It's not going to cost any money outside of our normal budget. Operational costs are already built in. We're just repurposing a few meters," Gray said.

While the proposal represents a simple change in the grand sceme of things, Gray said there are some challenges that need to be considered.

For example, the change will not affect the total capacity of parking in the downtown Greenwich area. Parking has been a decades-old problem in this area of town.

"What we're hoping is that turnover now will be impactful to at least those customers. So we go from one customer every two hours, to four customers every two hours," Gray noted.

Gray said it's also important to acknowledge that employees in the area who heavily use the lot could now be forced to find alternate locations for their long-term parking needs. Express parking means "in and out," Gray said.

Additionally, the proposed express parking spots are not conducive for people with mobility challenges, Gray said, adding that the lot is at the bottom of a slight grade.

But the expected turnover of spots should benefit others who park in the larger surrounding area, Gray said.

The board did not act on the proposal and is expected to revisit the item for a possible vote in two weeks to allow public feedback. However, the selectmen expressed support for the minor spot conversions.

"It should help," Camillo said. "It doesn't solve issues there. We're looking at so many other longer term and bigger endeavors there to address the parking situation."

Selectwoman Lauren Rabin said she felt "very positive" about the idea. Rabin is familiar with the trouble on the stretch of roadway because her mother was a longtime Grigg Street resident.

She noted that there's a cut-through path from the proposed express spots to Grigg, which would be convenient for users.

Selectperson Janet Stone McGuigan thanked Gray and parking services for their work.