Glen Cove may add time limits, lower number of parking spaces at Brewster Street garage

Time limits could come in 2021 to some of the spots at Glen Cove’s Brewster Street parking garage in response to concerns raised by the downtown business community about the impact of residential development.

The city is developing a plan to reconfigure the garage, which has 548 spots, to restrict 17 parking spots to two hours and add handicap-accessible spaces.

Mayor Timothy Tenke said at the city’s Dec. 15 pre-council meeting that the two-hour parking limit and a ban on overnight parking without a permit in the garage would "help out our businesses."

"Some cars have been sitting in there with covers and dust an inch thick because they just have been sitting in the garage," Tenke said. "That takes up valuable space that could be utilized for people who want to visit our local business."

The garage, which is free, will see the number of public spots reduced because the city has leased up to 75 spaces to developer RXR Realty, builder of the recently opened Village Square mixed-use development. The project, which is adjacent to the garage, contains 146 apartments. RXR Realty is leasing parking spots in the garage from the city at an initial rate of $65 per spot per month, city spokeswoman Shannon Vulin said.

Patricia Holman, executive director of the Glen Cove Downtown Business Improvement District, said that businesses on School Street need to make sure parking doesn’t become a problem as spots are leased to RXR.

"One of the things that Glen Cove, the downtown area has for them [businesses] is that we have a lot of parking available to our businesses, and it is very important that we have a certain amount reserved which will be for two-hour parking," Holman said. "We don’t want people to drive around the downtown area and not find any parking and then move elsewhere."

Joe Graziose, RXR Realty’s executive vice president of residential construction and development, said the Village Square property — which is more than 60 percent leased — has 171 parking spots. In addition to those spots, the developer pays the city for a minimum of 25 and a maximum of 75 overflow spaces in the city-owned garage, Graziose said.

"We currently do not need any of them," Graziose said.

Changing parking spots in the garage to a two-hour time limit would require a hearing to amend the city code.