Cost of Port Jefferson parking hurting business, shop & restaurant owners
It costs $2 an hour to park in metered lots in Port Jefferson on weekdays and $3 an hour on weekends. Shop owners say those fees are too high.
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Business owners say the cost of parking in Port Jefferson has risen so dramatically that it's driving customers away.
"It's really damaging all of us," said Ava Ressa, owner of Lavender Fields.
Parking used to cost $1 an hour. It was recently raised to $2 an hour on weekdays, shop owners say. It costs even more if you pay online rather than at the on-site machine.
Ressa estimates she and her mother have lost at least 20% of business due to increased prices. She says customers tell her they don't want to pay.
There are free lots in Port Jefferson, but they are not as close to the downtown as the metered lots. Additionally, there is free street parking on Main Street and East Main Street, but those spots are time limited.
Port Jefferson residents do not have to pay to park.
News 12 called the mayor, who said she'd return the call, but never did. Several trustees were not available to talk or did not call back.
Parking on weekends costs $3 an hour, which has been in effect longer than the new weekday cost.
