‘The craziness.’ Co-op City residents say new DOT rezoning takes away parking
Cones now line one side of the street on Donizetti Place indicating no parking due to ongoing road repairs. On the opposite side, new “No Standing” signs restrict parking during school hours starting Friday.
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New street upgrades along Baychester Avenue are causing concern among Co-op City residents, who say the changes are cutting into already limited parking without community input.
Cones now line one side of the street on Donizetti Place indicating no parking due to ongoing road repairs. On the opposite side, new “No Standing” signs restrict parking during school hours starting Friday.
“No standing Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. And then you can’t park 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. Wednesday,” said resident Darlene Dove-Malave, reading the signs aloud. “Wow.”
Dove-Malave, who usually parks in front of her building, said she will no longer be able to do so without risking a ticket.
“The craziness of this,” she said.
The changes are part of a city rezoning project intended to create more accessible spaces for nearby schools. However, the upgrades have also led to a reduction in available parking spots for residents in the area, including a conversion from angled parking to parallel spaces due to the installation of a new street median.
“It’s only nine cars that can fit now instead of 20,” Dove-Malave said.
With cones and signage already in place, residents say there will be virtually no daytime parking on the block.
As part of the project, a stretch of Baychester Avenue has also been reduced to one lane in each direction. Dove-Malave fears this will create even more traffic congestion once school is back in session.
“The buses are double-parked over there on Baychester, and then parents that drive their kids, they’re double parked as well,” she said. “It’s going to be even worse.”
While the city posted flyers in July announcing the construction work, residents like Dove-Malave say they were never consulted on the changes — and are now dealing with the consequences.
