"BRACKETS" YES, PARKING DECK MAYBE

Patchogue Village has now gotten a new option to deal with its pressing parking and traffic issues in the form of a proposal as part of a Parking Plus design competition. That design, very broadly described, provides two major improvements. One a system of pedestrian walkways tied to parking lots in the central business district of the village. Common sense ideas of upgrading visible paths, and added landscaping is meant to help guide visitors through any number of parking issues. One vast improvement: an automated system of parking capacity alerts for the various lots. That system will tell drivers just what parking spaces can be found when looking for a place to park. Along with more not mentioned here the plans would essentially unite the downtown village walking and parking experience where the “Brackets” idea is recommended to be built.

The second big idea of the project is a two story parking deck located in the present Church Street parking lot with ramp access from Railroad avenue. That will produce about an extra two hundred needed car spaces on top of  an increase of spaces that will be created over all as the Bracket system re-imagines parking and landscaping elsewhere as I noted above. There will be a boost in parking for the surrounding area when all is said and done. While I am not sure it also looks as part of that Church street lot expansion that land is also being acquired to produce additional surface spaces in the immediate area of the proposed parking deck adding to the count of new parking spaces.

(See for more information this source: www.longislandindex.org/parking_plus.)

Now I want to say that I am not a parking expert. There are parking experts involved in this plan and designers who no doubt have forgotten more than I have or will ever know. I have no economic vested interest real or future in any of this development. I am just a resident taxpayer looking to make sure that this is the right plan that will not raise taxes without really good cause. My views are mine alone and represent no organization I belong to or may be associated with in any way. Just need to get that out there.

Brackets...

This plan comes with some buzz words and Brackets is one of them. Looks like essentially grid planning that creates a system, a needed infrastructure upgrade, that will also boost the village in many ways. Organizing walk ways, coordinating them with the parking lots that does seem like a good plan if it can be reasonably be paid for.

Parking Deck: Just what are the real saving?...

But the parking deck strikes me as a different issue and the savings attributed to not building a larger deck but the smaller one at Church street seems is subject to this fact: no one was really advocating a 300 parking lot in the first place, The graphic pictured on the LI Index website appears to offer a comparison between a three story tiered lot somewhere and the two story proposed deck.  But I am not sure that is a valid comparison and therefore any claimed savings may not appear as implied.  

Facts are the Patchogue BID did assess four prospective parking decks for the village in a recent final report entitled LEVEL 1 PARKING DECK FEASIBILITY STUDY & PARKING PROGAM PLAN. Four lots sites were surveyed as potential parking deck locations. None of those recommendations suggested the building of a 300 car capacity deck . See: www.patchoguebid.com. See “parking feasibility study" page 24.

That saving would appear real only if all but the tiered parking now proposed was all the tiered parking that over time is built it would seem. And here is a sobering fact even if the “shared” parking proposal with the parking deck as proposed did save such a sum the village's potential parking needs also seems still greatly unmet: 1500 spaces is what the village needs to find in the next decade meaning most of this parking deficit still needs to be addressed. See Mr. Giosa's comments “Giosa: The continuing revitalization of downtown Patchogue is a Long Island success story. However, this growth and revitalization may require the construction of up to 1,500 new structured parking spaces over the next decade.”

The discussion found there also provides some of the best information on this subject and deserves a look by anyone interested in this subject: Potential Economic Benefits of the ParkingPLUS Design Challenge Proposals: Q&A with Parking Consultant Gerard Giosa at:http://www.longislandindex.org/parking_plus.).

Perhaps the “shared” parking concept will save that amount of money through more intelligent organization of current parking spaces. One of the many questions that need answers.

Didn't that BID parking survey say go slow?...

In 2012 the Patchogue Business Improvement District (BID) commissioned a parking survey the study referred to above. It was completed by Level G an expert parking consultant firm. Its chief consultant Mr. Giosa performed a comprehensive study of the village's parking needs and one of his most important conclusions was that parking decks were last case solutions to the village's parking issues. He developed three sets of plans called tiers: One, Two and Three, let's call that plans A,B and C. Parking decks were placed into the last of the tiers/plans to be acted on as recommended in his words below:

“It is recommended that Tier 3 parking deck construction options be considered on a case by-case basis if parking problems persist after the Tier 1 recommendations have been implemented AND the Swezey’s Block redevelopment has been built and occupied for at least 18 months.“ This quote can be found on page 27 of the report: www.patchoguebid.com. See link”parking feasibility study”.

Mr. Giosa's recommendation is not official public policy yet it bears consideration. Taking his recommendation as a guide the current proposal for a parking deck construction is premature by about two years. The Village is in fact undertaking other recommendations made by Mr. Giosa that he included in what he called Tier 1 and Tier 2 recommendations. Those are what are taking place currently: wayfarer signage to help identify available parking lots for one. Most importantly parking metering gaining control over just who is parking on main street and elsewhere and for how long to move traffic along and to create a revenue stream for another one of his ideas: land banking to purchase still available land for surface parking the least expensive form of creating usable parking spaces.

Just how many quarters are there to go around?...

Leaving the issue of parking deck timing aside the issue of financing is like that proverbial 600 pound gorilla but now sitting in a garage parking lot. The proposal's initial estimated cost is 6.3 million dollars although all of that is not just for the deck but presumably most is, land too most likely part of that total. The Mayor recently speculated at a recent meeting of the Board of Trustees that such a sum could be raised by bonding for thirty years with annual payments repaid to the village through parking fees and fines. His bottom line no taxpayer costs to do so.

(See for more information the video of 1/13/14 Village Board meeting, Part One, time line reference at one hour thirty minutes eighteen seconds,1:30:18, at Citizens Campaign for Open Village Government: www.patchoguevillagecitizens.com. The section that begins there and lasts for about two minutes offers a direct view of the Mayor's views on this subject. No better source than the Mayor's own words as he spoke them.)

Some other thoughts

The Mayor's hopes do need to be taken in some context. For example the village is still paying off a bond for the first massive renovation of the Patchogue Theater. I believe it is two years away from full repayment. The village is also considering a shorter term (5-7 years) to repay the general fund for the almost 400,000 roof repair to the Patchogue Theater. In other words in short order the village taxpayers might be paying for three bonds at one time, then two for a short period, then one for a long period.

And of course the Mayor's estimates that there will be enough revenue to go around for everything which would include bond repayment for the plan itself and new lighting for upgraded parking lots, and more code enforcement officers in particular is all speculative however made in good faith. No one knows for sure at this point in time just how much revenue can in reality be generated from fees and fines simply because there is no real world track record to depend upon at this point. Mr Giosa's' recommendation now comes back to mind: time must pass to know for sure what is really needed.

No such thing as free parking...

In addition when considering the costs for the parking plus proposal all should be mindful that the 6.3 million dollar figure does not take into account the large landscaping costs that will occur. Green spaces, a lot them, will have to be planted and that is going to cost. That cost is instead shifted to the business community and the village tax payer too as the proposed plans does suggest that the village start such a landscaping fund with the rest of the money to be raised privately. Just how much are we really talking about sounds like a another good question to ask.

And lastly but not finally: costs to run the system. Parking decks do not run themselves. They cost to maintain. Just how much is that annually? In other words there is going to be a need for some form of administration of what will become a parking system. Will there be a Parking Authority or some form of a village department with associated costs? Or some other entity along the lines of a special district for parking may have to be formed and the consequences for that would also need to be better understood. General maintenance costs, security, staff including executive management positions can certainly be expected and should be included as future costs under whatever scenarios exist to manage what is a very needed public service. But for how much? (For more information see “how to finance parking garages” link found at: http://www.longislandindex.org/parking_plus.)

Great design for a parking deck no doubt and if it does get built it will add to the changing architecture of the village too in a modern way. Although to create a sense of place it should say Patchogue Village not Patchogue on the wonderful electronic sign that will serve as a beacon to find it. But I would say until some of the above policy issues have been truly addressed that the project should get at this time a yellow light: let's proceed but slowly until the road ahead can really be seen.

If you made it this far thanks for your patience. Lots of words but lots of issues needing them, And in closing I certainly would invite all opinions about my views. We need to shine the light of facts so we all can see the road ahead and I recognize I do not have them all. So let's get them so that the best decisions for the village are indeed made and when made not in a rush.