The downtown parking lot behind the row of stores that includes Ruby’s and Rye Country Store will be closed for renovations and resurfacing throughout August.
The project is the result of a legal settlement between Save the Sound and the city of Rye, and involves proper installation of handicapped parking spots, building a new sidewalk through the parking lot, and installing a new filtration system to prevent pollutants from entering the Blind Brook.
Merchants and residents are not happy with the closing of the much-needed municipal lot, because of the lack of available parking spots downtown in August.
The city will not be offering any other parking while Car Park 1 is off limits.
Brian Jackson, president of the Rye Chamber of Commerce, suggested that merchants and shoppers arrive earlier than usual and familiarize themselves with the other available parking areas around town.
The project is expected to be complete by the end of August, Jackson said.
“While no one will be happy about missing parking spots for a couple of weeks, on the good side, there will be a safer walking pathway through the lot, the spaces will be slightly wider, the handicap spots will be properly graded, and there will be no loss of available spots,” Jackson said. “All of these bonuses on top of the fact that the filtration system that’s being put in place during this project will protect the Rye Brook and ultimately the Long Island Sound. I feel those are all long-term wins for a short-term parking spot loss during the slowest time of year.”
