Sound Avenue parking ban met with mixed feelings
A proposal to ban parking on the entire length of Sound Avenue, from Wading River to the border with Southold Town, got mixed reaction during a Riverhead Town Board public hearing Tuesday.
The board ultimately agreed to hold the hearing open until Nov. 19.
The town currently bans parking in three areas of Sound Avenue, two of them by Riverhead Ciderhouse and one near Briermere Farms.
Officials said safety was the chief concern.
Sandra Hallock of Jamesport said the proposal will require land that was meant to be used for farming to be used for parking instead.
Robert Skinner of Jamesport said the town should do “anything you can to keep Sound Avenue flowing.”
And Rob Carpenter of the Long Island Farm Bureau said a ban could impact farm operations and suggested town officials meet with farmers to better understand what the town is trying to address.
Farmer Rodney Anderson, who chairs the town’s farmland committee, said he doesn’t think the ban should apply to the entire length of Sound Avenue. He also said that people will sometimes have an event at their home and guests will park on the road.
“For me, it was all about safety,” Councilwoman Catherine Kent said. “It’s a narrow, winding road.”
She acknowledged that she doesn’t see many cars parking along Sound Avenue.
“That’s my point,” Mr. Anderson said.
