Valley Stream considering commercial vehicle lot

Valley Stream officials want to go forward with a plan to open up at least one parking lot for commercial vehicles, and hope to do so within the next few months.

The plan would give owners of commercial vehicles, such as landscaping trucks and contractor vans, a place to park their trucks overnight. Village code prohibits these vehicles from being parked in residential neighborhoods, even if it’s in a home’s driveway.

Deputy Village Clerk Bob Fumagalli presented the village board with a plan on Monday night that would turn Municipal Lot 24, located between Pflug Place and Hancock Place just north of Merrick Road, into a commercial vehicle lot. There would be 22 spots available, and Fumagalli said he already has a list of more than 30 landscapers who live in the village who might be interested.

Village officials debated how much money they would want to charge per spot. Rental fees of $100 to $200 a month were thrown out by the board. Mayor Ed Fare said that landscapers would probably need to rent two spaces — one for their truck and one for their trailer — so a total of $400 a month would probably be a little steep.

Fare said that village officials will do some research to see how much other municipalities charge, as well as private landowners, before setting a price. He noted that there are several gas station owners in Valley Stream which rent spots to commercial vehicle owners in need of a place to park.

Fumagalli said the only other village he could find that does this is Mount Vernon in Westchester County, which charges slightly less than $1,200 for a full year.

Trustee Virginia Clavin-Higgins said that she wanted to make these spots available first to village residents. Fare agreed. “We want to get their commercial vehicles out of their driveways,” he said.

Fare said that there would be a weight limit on vehicles, and no hazardous materials would be allowed. The village would also have to issue two parking stickers, one for the commercial vehicle and one for the owner’s car wºhich could be parked in the lot while the truck is being used.

Village officials say that if there is high demand for these spots, they could build new lots for commercial vehicles or repurpose existing, underutilized lots. Fumagalli said that the lot being considered now off Hancock Place is lightly used.