Property owners have removed a long row of boulders that closed off the entrance to the parking lot behind the movie theatre in Bedford Village, after hearing from the town of Bedford last week that the stones blocked emergency access and violated a section of town code which requires parking for commerical tenants.
The owners—Phoenix Capital Parters LLC, a Purchase based commercial real estate and investment company—have left a row of orange traffic cones and planters in the middle of the Court Road lot, leaving half of its available spaces for customers of tenants of 635 Old Post Road, according to Steven Fraietta, Bedford's building inspector.
The boulders appeared in December, irking business owners who said there were not enough available parking spaces for customers during the busiest shopping season of the year, according to tenants of the building, who asked for their comments to remain anonymous for fear of damaging relations with their landlord.
Supervisor Lee Roberts said from 2006-11 the town leased the lot, which once offered free parking to customers. In recent years officials converted the lot to metered parking spaces but the revenue didn't come close to covering the lease or ancillary expenses like meter maintenance and plowing, which neared $30,000 annually. The town's lease expired in November.
Roberts, who said her office had also received many complaints in recent weeks, plans to attend the Bedford Village Business Association meeting Tuesday to discuss the issue with the building's tenants, which include and the , among other retail shops.
"We know the landlord would like to make some money but the lot should be open for tenants, and I'm glad to see the boulders removed," said Roberts. "We're open to many options and will hear what the merchants have to say. We worked closely with Katonah businesses to and will do the same with the village."
One tenant said removing the boulders did not fix the problem. "It's not clear what is allowed. I have a customer who was afraid to park in the lot because the sign says you'll be towed after two hours. That's not enough for anyone in this building," the individual said, adding that returning to metered parking would be welcome.
Patch reached out to Phoenix Capital Partners Principal Frank Boccanfuso for comment but did not receive a response as of Wednesday evening.
Are you able to find a spot in Bedford Village when you need it? Should on-street parking be one hour or two? Share your comments below.
