Bay Shore Parking Meter Plan Changed Following Opposition From Residents

Town of Islip announced they will be changing the parking meter plan for downtown Bay Shore after local residents and business owners have expressed their opposition to the project.

The original plan was to expand the parking meter plan started in 2014 by adding meters at certain town parking lots including:

• The Town Lot at South Park Avenue and Gibson Street
• The Town Lot at Maple Avenue and Gibson Street
• The Town Lots along Gibson Street between Maple Avenue and Shore Lane
• The Town Lots along the south side of Mechanicsville Road between Park Avenue and Third Avenue
• A portion of the Town Lot west of North Park Avenue between Mechanicsville and Main Street

Under the original plan all other Town parking lots will remain free.

However, at a public meeting last month to discuss the plan, over 200 local residents and business owners spoke on the plan, many expressing their concern over adding parking meters.

According to a report in Newsday, as a result, the new plan will now include:

• Installing parking meters in lots behind Main Street which would be become active after 6 p.m. on weekdays rather than at 9 a.m.
• Running meters on weekends from 9 a.m. on Saturdays and 1 p.m. on Sundays.
• Creating more weekday parking spaces in Lot B behind Main Street at Mechanicsville Road
• Adding additional employee spaces behind the YMCA Boulton Center for the Performing Arts on Main Street.

The plan has already gone into effect as of last week.