Letters

The parking lot at the post office was full, so I drove out and along Good Ground Road. There were no spots there, either. I cursed the two white buses that took up six spots closest to the post office.

I thought of the Southampton Town Board’s dream of transforming Hampton Bays into a destination town, with stores and apartments bordering the park. I pictured the Good Ground Park parking lot turned into a public street filled with cars stuck trying to bully their way out of the park, just to sit in a long line of other cars trying to turn onto Montauk Highway.

A 2018 parking study by the town concluded that there were only 508 public parking spots in the area previously designated as the Downtown Overlay District. The town consultant observed parking patterns over four days and concluded that there is ample parking to accommodate future development.

As a resident who visits “downtown” more frequently than four times a year and a person able to do simple math, I beg to differ with the expert consultant’s conclusion.

Losing the park parking lot means losing 109 parking spots. What is the plan for parking for park users? What is the plan for special event parking?

People drive to destination towns. Where will these people park?

Dream of a walkable town, but be real — no one will ditch their automobiles. An apartment dweller can be reasonably expected to have at least two vehicles. Where will these cars park?

A new “Main Street” dissecting the park will not mitigate traffic problems. New roads have not proven to be effective in reducing traffic. And I don’t think one needs to be a traffic expert to realize that vehicles cutting through the park will create additional backup not just in the park but down Squiretown Road as well.

I visit the other destination towns, and I’m happy to come back to Hampton Bays. Besides a parking spot, I can actually find a T-shirt larger than a size 2, and for less than $120.

Changes will come. If the town wants to guide those changes, it should expand its thinking to consider quality-of-life issues for residents. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of one developer.

Mary Pazan

Hampton Bays