Where to Park Gurney’s Workers’ Cars?

Increased parking this summer on side streets between Old Montauk Highway and Route 27, in a residential area of Montauk, led to a number of complaints to the East Hampton Town Police Department, not only about the cars along the sides of winding roads but about littering.

An investigation “led to Gurney’s Inn,” Lt. A.J. McGuire told the East Hampton Town Board at a meeting in Montauk on Tuesday. Board members had been asked to consider enacting a parking ban on the affected streets.

Gurney’s is under new management, he said, and “because of the increased population of Gurney’s, and Montauk in general, there were some decisions made about parking on-site at Gurney’s for employees, as well as overflow parking for events,” which led to the pileup on adjacent streets.

To keep employees from driving themselves to work, the hotel provided a shuttle to pick up those living in the hamlet at their residences, Lieutenant McGuire said. The shuttle would also collect those living out of town at public parking lots, where they would leave their vehicles during their shifts.

Councilman Peter Van Scoyoc said he had been told some had been parking at the town’s Kirk Park beach lot. That lot was opened, at no charge, to nonresidents this season in order to reduce the number of cars left all day in the downtown shopping district by beachgoers.

But a number of Gurney’s employees who found the shuttle inconvenient “began to seek out parking in the area” of the hotel, Lieutenant McGuire told the board. He said he had spoken to Paul Monte, Gurney’s general manager, and that the management had “tried to assist us.”

“They’ve given their employees a clear-cut plan on what they would like them to do. The employees are making these decisions on their own, and currently they are parking their vehicles legally,” Lieutenant McGuire said. He warned that if the board enacted a parking ban on streets surrounding Gurney’s, drivers would begin to park in adjacent areas. “I would say you’d have to regulate the entire area or none of it.”

“My biggest concern,” he added, “is, the further you push them away, the longer they have to walk,” through streets that are unlit and dangerous at night.

Arlene Brodsky, a resident of Laurel Drive, told the board that valets from the inn had been parking cars on residential side streets for guests visiting the hotel and its beach on a day pass. Her husband, Hy Brodsky, said he “would not like to see cars parking across from my house all day. We moved there because of the beauty of the woods.”

“The only true resolution would be if Gurney’s accommodates the vehicles that they bring to the area,” said Lieutenant McGuire. “I’m not sure that’s necessarily possible either,” he added.

 Mr. Van Scoyoc suggested the board consider a street parking ban in the area. “It’s always good if a business will accommodate its employees and customers on site,” he said. 

Mr. Monte did not return a call for comment before press time.