As of March 15th, parking permit fees will be enforced, announced Garden City Mayor Robert J. Rothschild at the March 4th Garden City Board of Trustees meeting.

When asked by The Garden City News after the meeting why the fee, which went into effect in September, has not been enforced, the Mayor responded via e-mail: “There was too much uncertainty as to what the parking lot configuration would be. It was not fair to ask tenants to pay for permits if the BOT was not sure it would implement the fees.”

The $150 parking permit fee affects the Village parking field on Fair Court, located at the corner of Old Country Road and Washington Avenue, and Village Parking Field 5, which is located behind the Garden City Medical Building at 520 Franklin Avenue. It angered many tenants and the landlord of affected office buildings along Old Country Road that use the Fair Court lot.

Village Administrator Robert L. Schoelle, Jr. and Dept. of Public Works Director Robert Mangan worked with the property owners’ associations to help reconfigure the lots.

“We will be requiring a fee if a tenant wants a permit,” the Mayor said. “The Traffic Commission will continue to monitor the lots and, if needed, alter the number of spaces allotted to different time restrictions.”