Parking Meters Eyed in Three Hamptons Villages

Drivers seeking hard-to-find parking spots nearby popular shops in some South Fork downtowns may soon have to feed new parking meters for the first time.

The Village of East Hampton struck an agreement with ParkMobile, an Atlanta-based parking meter company that offers an app for drivers to pay via mobile devices instead of coin-operated meters. Sag Harbor may vote on it in March and Southampton will hear from the company at its January meeting. Times and rates are expected to differ between villages.

“Visitors to the region will be able to use their same account in all three villages,” Sag Harbor Trustee Aiden Corish said. “This makes it easier for everybody and reinforces the idea that paid parking is something whose time has come on the East End.”

ParkMobile is used in thousands of locations nationwide, including Patchogue, Freeport, Great Neck, Bay Shore and New York City.

Sag Harbor proposed premium parking May 29 to October 3 on Main Street and Long Wharf with the first hour free, $5 for the second hour, $7.50 or the third hour and $15 for the fourth hour. East Hampton proposed keeping free the one-hour parking on Main Street and two-hour parking in municipal lots, but charging $10 for the third hour and $20 for the fourth hour.

“It’s going to really help the businesses and it’s going to help us in the village provide other services that we need,” East Hampton Village Mayor Jerry Larson said.

Sag Harbor expects to earn from the meters $1 million annually, which will fund road repairs, bicycle paths, and benches. Revenue projections were not immediately available for the other two villages.

Southampton Village Mayor Jesse Warren said, “I think it’s a great idea, but we have to get our board up to speed.”