Residents request ‘parking by permit only’ near Inlet Pond County Park

Stirling Eastern Shores Homeowners Association has requested “Parking by Southold Town Permit Only” signs at the end of Sound Drive in Greenport, near the county-owned Inlet Pond County Park. 

A letter from the civic group to the town Transportation Commission notes that parking at the end of the road is meant for a private beach.

“With this pandemic, our neighborhood has been overrun with cars and people who do not belong to our association,” the letter said, adding that homeowners pay insurance for the beach and any accident there would be a legal issue. 

The commission forwarded the request to the Town Board because the town can’t post such signs where no access to a town beach exists, nor can they place signage at the entrance to a county park. 

Mr. Russell acknowledged that parking from the nearby park can put “a lot of pressure on a community.” Considering the circumstances, Town Board members did not seem to take issue with putting up the requested sign. Residents would also need a sticker to park in the area. 

“This is a little bit unique because we don’t have an asset there, but at the same time, it is a county park, it is a public asset,” Mr. Russell said. 

The Transportation Commission also requested adding a stop sign along Mill Lane to curb speeding and a “parking by permit only” sign along Sunset Lane.