Click here for Greater Long Island newsletters. Click here to download the iPhone app.
Editor’s note: The valet parking services are no longer being offered in Port Jefferson.
Valet parking will be in full force in Port Jefferson Village this summer starting the Friday of Memorial Day weekend.
“This is the year we tried to improve it and get it started prior to Memorial Day,” said Tom Schafer, the president of the Port Jeff Business Improvement District, which sponsors the initiative.
In its inaugural year in 2017, the BID ran into trouble when it came to finding a permanent designated staging area. This year that problem is solved.
So on Fridays and Saturdays from 5 p.m. to midnight, patrons can drop off their car at Port Jeff Village Hall. From there, the vehicles will be taken to Port Jefferson High School to be parked. There will be a flat rate of $7 per vehicle.
“We are hoping this will be an alternative,” said Schafer, who owns Schafer’s and Tommy’s Place.
“People can drop off their car and not worry about driving around or feeding a meter.”
Adding valet parking is one step in solving the village’s parking issues.
“We had about 640 spots last year compared to Patchogue’s 5,000 spots,” he said. “It is difficult to have a business district thrive when people can’t find parking.”
Photo: Schafer’s in Port Jefferson. (courtesy photo)
