Prominent Park Ave. parking lot ends free parking, sparks debate

A longtime parking lot in the heart of Park Avenue is no longer free - and its ruffling some feathers.

The lot, at 616 Park Ave., is adjacent to a small shopping plaza near the corner of Park Avenue and Berkeley Street and directly across from Vassar Street. The lot is owned by Alloco Real Estate Management and has historically offered free parking.

Last week, nearby merchants said, they were alerted to the change and that motorists would be required to pay to park in the lot.

How do I pay?

Dozens of green and white signs are poisted in the lot, directing payment through your smart phone. Scan the QR code posted on the sign and it will take you to a website to pay. The parking rate is $2 per hour, with a maximum of $10 per day. There are no meters in the lot, so patrons cannot pay with cash and must pay by phone or risk being towed. The patron can also call the number on the posted signs to pay via credit card.

The lot has around 100 parking spots.

Are some spots free?

Not exactly. Property owner Joseph Alloco said that the parking spaces around the perimeter of the building will remain free for patrons of those businesses, such as the UPS store and laundromat.

There's a row of about a dozen parking spots directly in front of the shopping plaza, which is separate from the main lot and another small lot behind the building, where the laundromat is located. Those spaces are specifically for business patrons and some - like the plaza's convenience store - only allow patrons to remain 15 minutes in a parking space.

What are people saying about the change?

Parking has always been at a premium along Park Avenue, especially on evenings and weekends when people frequent eateries and other businesses in the area. Popular spots like Jines, The Frog Pond, Blu Wolf Bistro and Magpie Irish Pub are all within a block of the lot, as are a UPS store, several salons and a laundromat.

Jeff Brocht, the lead candymaker at Stever's Candies, 623 Park Ave., said he understands why the property owners made a change, since it's a popular lot, but he wishes it had been handled differently. Perhaps by renting out spaces to merchants by the week or month, rather than passing the cost directly to patrons and employees of area stores and restaurants.

Part of the issue, he said, is that much of Park Avenue offers one-hour parking, but is rarely enforced and folks who stay well past the hour limit clog up the available spaces.

"Here on Park Avenue, we're a community," Brocht said. "Everything someone does, affects somebody else."

If people instead park on nearby side streets , where parking is free, then residents may struggle to find parking when they return from school or work.

Kristin DiMarco of Penfield regularly shops and dines in the area, and said that with limited and often unavailable street parking - visitors are forced to pay to park. She said she'll seek out street parking in the future, but felt that many people will either pay to park or risk getting towed.

"There will be a lot more illegal parking as a result," she said

Lila Lewis was surprised to find the lot now required payment when she parked there Monday morning for an appointment at a Park Avenue salon. She paid the rate and shrugged, "It is what it is." Next time she said she'll look for street parking first, but the lot is far more convenient.

Typically patrons stop to visit multiple businesses and enjoy a stroll in a beautiful neighborhood where people feel safe, Brocht said. That could change with the new parking situation.

For now, he said, "we hope for the best."

What does the parking lot owner say?

Joseph Alloco, president of Alloco Real Estate Management, said he purchased the lot along with other Park Avenue properties several years ago and has been upgrading the parcels since then. Some repairs to the lot included patching, seal-coating and restriping the lot and replacing fencing and signs and repairing lights.

Converting the lot to a pay-to-park area seemed like the best option to pay for needed repairs and ongoing maintenance, he said.

"I don't want to hurt small businesses or anyone who lives in the area, but I couldn't leave it like it was," he said. "I wish there was a better way."

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Park Ave. parking lot in Rochester NY ends free parking