Village Says Bridge Builders Can't Park and Launch

The Tappan Zee Constructors have rented out what used to be the sales office for the Hudson Harbor, which came with 135 parking spaces attached but not, apparently, for the use they intended.

The bridge rebuilding team has since paved the allotted lot, fenced it and even planted view-saving evergreens along its development edge. Now they are asking the village if they can use an additional 165 spaces in this same lot.

The village code, said Village Administrator Mike Blau, said the first batch of spaces was meant to be for workers entering, and presumably, spending the day in this office space not stepping onto river boats.

However, since the tar dried, the workers have been forging a regular and very visible path to their new boat dock in front of the adjacent, formerly Castle Oil, construction site.

Blau says an additional amount of spaces that deny code won’t be any more acceptable than the first. But the Board planned to discuss the proposal during closed door executive session last night. Blau didn’t want to speculate on what the outcome would be.

The village hasn't seen any money from this arrangement, he said. Blau said Hudson Harbor worked out a deal with TZC that “the village wasn’t privy to,” when asked how this oversight came to be.

Bridge officials have submitted a proposal for fully utilizing the lot that is now only partially filled – and certainly the car traffic will increase as construction on the new bridge officially begins this week. However, in addition to objecting to workers leaving here to go on boats, the village has a problem with the bank of mobile trailers parked alongside the office building, “also not permitted,” said Blau.

These trailers are meant to provide additional separate office space for various agencies affiliated with the project from the Thruway Authority to various county and state departments. All of this of course “sunsets,” said Blau, when the bridge is done, which is reportedly on track for a just under five years timeline.

For those who wonder how this all coincides with the ever-growing National RE/Sources development of encroaching town homes, condos and carriage houses, Blau said this parking lot area is the final frontier – the last area slated for development and years down the road in National RE/Sources's head Joe Cotter’s plans.

This lot is seeing new life now in a form it’s used to. The parking lot, most recently just empty space along the DPW, used to be the parking lot for an old asphalt plant.

TZC and Hudson Harbor representatives have not yet returned a request for comment.