Village to Maintain Access to MLA Parking Lot

More signage, added fencing and getting rid of the mysterious yellow school bus—all in the parking lot behind the former MLA property—are on tap for The Village of Pleasantville.

"If we are going to use this lot as we have been over the years, I think it benefits everybody involved if we make some improvements," said Trustee Mindy Berard at the June 25 board of trustees meeting.

The village board and Zwilling J.A. Henckels, the likely new tenant of the currently vacant Marble Avenue property, have agreed to allow the village to continue using the rear parking lot sandwiched between and the .

Residents often park in the lot for access to the village field, while the DPW uses the space for snow storage.

, representatives for Henckels indicated said they have "no objection" to the village's continued use of the parking lot, where the village's recycling center is currently located on the property.

As part of its application to move into the lot owned by the Stop & Shop Company, Henckels has agreed to repave and stripe the 75-space lot. 

"Henckels does not envision needing that parking lot very much," said Mayor Peter Scherer. "Their daily employment is about 65 people. They have occassional sample sales and there may be an occassion when they need that lot."

Berard suggested the village look into fencing, as well as signage indicating when the field can be be used and that no overnight parking is permitted.

"We need some type of rules of the field out there on that entrance," she added. "Anyway that we can help that parking lot to be aesthetically nice—it would help everybody."

Scherer agreed: "I certainly think [Henckels] will be happy to have the village's eyes and ears on managing that property as well."

He added the proposed upgrades to the lot will have "quite a modest impact in terms of village costs."

Resident Michelle Lucia asked about the abandoned school bus in the corner of the lot, to which Scherer said, "The bus is Stop & Shop's responsibility to find the owner of it and get rid of it. Clearly that will be removed."

Trustee Brian Skarstad asked whether Henckels had any incentive to maintain the lot "just for us."

Said Scherer, "I think what is proposed here is very fair. Henckels has been generous to us and we will have a good, cooperative basis going forward."

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