Community Corner

Old Lyme Sets Parking Fees For Sound View

Old Lyme Board of Selectmen set the parking fees at Sound View beach for the summer. Will it end the parking wars?

Will the parking issues that plagued Sound View Beach last summer erupt again or will Old Lyme's new parking policy change things for the better? The answer to that question at depends on your point of view. 

For the general public, the fees set by the Old Lyme Board of Selectmen last night are fairly straightforward. The town parking lot, which is closest to the beach, will charge an all-day rate of $25 on weekends and holidays, $20 during weekdays.

The fees will be lowered by up to $10 a day if the lot is empty due to inclement weather, as has been the town's longstanding policy. Half day rates will be set no lower than $10 a day. 

That isn't likely to sit well with at least a few of the members of Sound View Commission's Parking Subcommittee, however, who Sound View Commission Chairman Frank Pappalardo said had felt that a 50 percent reduction in fees was "too drastic."

A number of the subcommittee members operate private parking lots in the area. As they have to pay the town for permits to operate the lots, Pappalardo said, they bristle at the idea that the town might undercut their rates.  

However, after talking to the town's financial director and to Don Bugbee, Old Lyme's director of parks and recreation who has operated the town parking lot for the past 12 years, the Selectmen said that they wanted to stick with what works best for the town.

They don't want to undermine local businesses, they said, but they pointed out that the town also depends on parking revenues to pay to police the area, direct the traffic, staff the parking area, and maintain the town beach at Sound View. Bugbee has always adjusted the rates based on beach attendance and the weather, and he will continue to operate as usual this season. 

Street Parking

Street parking, for which the town began charging for the first time last summer, is also changing this year. Instead of parallel parking, street parking will be laid out diagonally and parking kiosks will be in place.

The parking kiosk fees will be set at two hour increments, as recommended by the Sound View Parking Subcommittee, at $5 for two hours on week days, $7 for two hours on weekends and holidays. People can pay to park there all day, as long as they keep feeding the meter. 

Merchant Parking

In the past, local businesses have been given their own parking spaces at no charge. This year, however, the parking layout on Hartford Road will change. Ten spaces will be set aside for merchant parking—all of which will be free for 30 minutes. The spaces won't be allotted to a specific business, however. There will be five spaces at the top of Hartford Road and five at the bottom reserved for "merchant parking." 

Businesses complained last year that charging people for street parking  diminished foot traffic and decreased turnaround. This new proposal addresses both complaints. Whether 30 minutes at the designated merchant parking locations will suffice remains to be seen. 

This is, as the Selectmen noted, a work in progress. Should the current proposal for business parking prove to be insufficient, they're open to revising it. 

"It's going to be a summer of trying this out," said Old Lyme First Selectwoman Bonnie Reemsnyder. 

Park for Cheaper or For Free

People will have to pay to park between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. only. Residents or visitors with beach stickers can park for free in the town lot and on the street, except in those spaces that are reserved for merchants. Beach parking stickers are available now at Old Lyme Town Hall.  

 


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