Sandy Hook Center Merchants Lobby For Parallel Parking

By Andrew Gorosko

After lengthy discussion, the Police Commission is reconsidering its recent recommendation to the state, in which it sought to prohibit parallel parking in front of several businesses along eastbound Church Hill Road in Sandy Hook Center as a traffic safety measure.

That reconsideration comes in response to pleas from some Sandy Hook Center merchants this week who say that those parking spaces are a convenience for a significant segment of their customers.

The Police Commission, serving as the town traffic authority, last month had recommended to the State Traffic Commission (STC) that the STC prohibit some parallel parking near 102 and 100 Church Hill Road, which is state road.

The area, where the commission recommended that “No Parking” signs be erected, comprises five potential parallel parking spaces in front of four businesses, including a package store, hair salon, delicatessen, and bar. Besides on-street parking, there is a large parking lot behind those businesses at 102 and 100 Church Hill Road.

Before the Church Hill Road section of the Sandy Hook Center Streetscape Project had been completed, there had been a group of nine perpendicular parking spaces located in front of the affected businesses, where some customers would park. Such a parking arrangement, however, required that motorists back out of those spaces into the sometimes heavy and hazardous traffic on Church Hill Road, near its difficult intersection with Washington Avenue, Riverside Road, and Glen Road.

As part of the town’s streetscape beautification project, the nine perpendicular parking spaces were eliminated and a pedestrian plaza was built in front of the businesses. Temporary lines delineating five parallel parking spaces along the new curbline were then painted on the street. Those temporary paint lines were slated to be repainted with heavier permanent paint lines.

But after deciding that such parallel parking spaces posed vehicular hazards in terms of traffic traveling from eastbound Church Hill Road onto southbound Washington Avenue, and also in terms of some blocked motorist sight lines, Police Commission members opted to recommend that the STC prohibit parallel parking in that area.

At an October 3 Police Commission session, Community Development Director Elizabeth Stocker urged the commission to reconsider its recommendation to the STC, arguing that such a parking prohibition could be economically detrimental to nearby businesses.

Traffic engineer Michael Galante, who served as a town traffic consultant on the streetscape project, told Police Commission members that on-street parallel parking would serve as a desirable “traffic calming” measure. As a compromise, Mr Galante suggested that the commission allow three parallel parking spaces in that area.

Police Commission member Richard Simon pointed out that there are vacant parking spaces available in the parking lot behind the commercial buildings at 102 and 100 Church Hill Road.

Parallel parking on the street would create traffic congestion, he said. “It’s a safety issue and a traffic issue,” he said.

Developer Michael Burton, who jointly owns the commercial building at 102 Church Hill Road adjacent to the pedestrian plaza, said his merchant tenants are “up in arms” over the prospect of losing parking spaces in front of their businesses, stressing the economic aspects of the matter, as well as the legal aspects involving property leases.

Police Commission Chairman Carol Mattegat said the Police Commission would again discuss and also act on the parking issue at its November 8 session.