Police Panel Mulls Sandy Hook On-Street Parking

By Andrew Gorosko

Following an attorney’s plea to allow on-street parallel parking in front of a commercial building in Sandy Hook Center, the Police Commission has again postponed action on the issue.

Attorney Robert Accomando, representing Pootatuck Properties, on November 8, urged that the Police Commission endorse allowing four spaces of on-street parallel parking in front of the commercial building at 102 Church Hill Road. The building, which is owned by Pootatuck Properties, holds a package store, hair salon, and delicatessen.

In September, the Police Commission, acting as the local traffic authority, had recommended to the State Traffic Commission (STC) that the STC prohibit four spaces of parallel parking in front of 102 Church Hill Road and one space of parallel parking in front of 100 Church Hill Road, which is a bar.

Church Hill Road is a state road. The Police Commission made the recommendation as a traffic safety measure for the congested area.

In October, affected Sandy Hook Center business people attended a Police Commission session to register their opposition to eliminating such parking. Police Commission members then said that the panel would reconsider its previous recommendation and take action at the November 8 meeting.

But based on the issues raised by Mr Accomando, Police Commission members said they would discuss the matter with the police chief and captain before taking up the issue again at their December 5 session.

On November 8, Mr Accomando argued that it would not be prudent to eliminate the four parking spaces in front of 102 Church Hill Road.

There previously were nine perpendicular parking spaces in front of 102 Church Hill Road. Those nine spaces were removed when the town built a pedestrian plaza in front of the building as part of the Sandy Hook Center Streetscape Project, which is a beautification effort.

Police Commission members told Mr Accomando that there are many available parking spaces located in a parking lot at the rear of the commercial building.

The business owners, however, want to preserve parking spaces in front of 102 Church Hill Road for the convenience of their customers.

The area is at Church Hill Road’s approach to the hazardous intersection of Church Hill Road, Washington Avenue, Riverside Road, and Glen Road.