Ruppert Towers Parking Wars: VIDEO

At Community Board 8’s Transportation Committee meeting this week, the main topic of discussion was a proposal to change the parking regulations outside of the Ruppert Yorkville Towers complex. The proposal asks to change the currently posted ‘No Parking’ signs to ‘No Standing’ signs.

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The complex consists of four buildings that stand between 90th and 92nd streets and Second and Third avenues. Collectively, the buildings house over 1,200 apartments–a mix of condominiums and both regulated and unregulated rental units.

The proposal, which was presented to Community Board 8 by condo board president Joel Burris, pertains to two of the buildings: 1623 and 1621 Third Avenue. It asks that the signs be changed at the “curb cuts” at the building entrances (at the north side of 90th and south side of 92nd) in order to “prevent vehicles from remaining in these areas and help maintain safe and unobstructed access to the curb for those being picked up or dropped off.”

At the meeting, Burris opened his presentation by giving a history of the building’s parking requests, as well as their relationship with the community and the disabled. He said that the request is necessary because residents with cerebral palsy, the elderly, those in wheelchairs, and school children all need clear access to and from the building for Ubers, cabs, Access-A-Ride, and school buses.

According to city guidelines, a ‘No Parking Anytime’ sign means that while drivers cannot park at the location, they can “stop to load/unload packages or merchandise” and to drop off or pick up passengers. ‘No Standing Anytime’ means vehicles cannot wait or stop to do anything besides “expeditiously drop off or pick up passengers.”

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As he continued, Burris seemed to mostly take issue with the misuse of the already marked ‘No Parking’ areas by vehicles with special permits for long periods of time. He called out “…people [who] consistently use the spots as their parking spots. And since they have medical permits, God knows for what, because I’ve seen a couple of them jogging in Central Park, they’re able to park there and block the entrance to the building, which is completely undermining the intent that we created the cutouts for, which was to give people the access to the building, especially the handicapped.”

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Burris also took time to point out how much the condo does for the community, including using their private security to care for the closed street at 91st and Ruppert Park. After being asked by a community board member to wrap things up, other community members were asked to speak on the proposal, and several Ruppert Towers residents chimed in to share their thoughts.

While many residents were on board with the change, some were decidedly not–and inside quarrels seemed to play into these feelings.

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One resident who uses a wheelchair backed Burris, saying that she personally had trouble accessing the building entrance many times, having to navigate the curb when cars were in the way.

Other residents who were opposed to Burris expressed concerns about getting ticketed for using the entrances themselves. One resident, Gemma Weidman, expressed concerns about being able to take car seats in and out or get carts from the building lobby, saying that “This seems like almost a punishment for a couple of people that would make it much more difficult for the majority of people who actually do live in the building.”

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The discussion became more heated when another Ruppert Towers resident, David Torbati, brought up grievances against the board and specifically against Burris, claiming they are actually discriminating against those with disabilities. While Burris tried to intervene, Torbati claimed he was assaulted by the building’s security officer. He also alleged that he was targeted by the building both for leaving his car in the questioned spaces and for being Jewish. A community board member eventually had to step in to end the interaction.

The submit request asks to change the regulations in order “To improve accessibility and ensure that curb cuts remain clear for all users,” however, it is unclear how much of the sidewalk this entails, and despite the long discussion during the meeting, it was left unspecified. Photos submitted with the request show cars partially or nearly blocking the “cut out” areas of the curbs, yet still appearing to leave access. Photos presented at the meeting show commercial vehicles idling off the curb in those spaces, blocking the cut outs.

Sebastian, a CB8 board member, suggested the addition of a DOT neighborhood loading zone on each of these blocks as a good solution that would allow people to pull in and out without blocking access.

After over an hour of discussion, the board voted to approve the proposal, as written, with only two members against. This means that the request will move to the full CB8 meeting, which takes place in two weeks. If it is approved there, that recommendation with go along to the Department of Transportation which will make the decision on whether or not to change the regulations.

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