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Methodist gives back parking

By Dana Rubinstein
The Brooklyn Paper
The Brooklyn Paper / Julie Rosenberg

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New York Methodist Hospital has backtracked on a plan that would have turned 30 neighborhood parking spots into a “no-standing” zone reserved for ambulances — defusing a confrontation with nearby residents.

That confrontation began on Oct. 16, when residents awoke to find signs forbidding all parking along a street where they’d left their vehicles for years.

It was part of a plan by the hospital to turn most of the Sixth Street, between Seventh and Eighth avenues, into a no-parking and no-standing zone, giving ambulances freedom of movement on the often-congested block.

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The hospital presented the plan in 2006 to the community board, which approved the measure and sent its recommendation to the Department of Transportation, which had the final say.

And that was that. Or so the hospital thought.

When the plan was implemented last Tuesday, an uproar ensued, and that evening, neighbors met with hospital officials, including Lyn Hill, the Methodist spokeswoman.

And the negotiations began.

The hospital offered to give back nine of the 30 commandeered spots. Neighbors said “not enough.” Methodist offered to give back 20.

Deal.

And then the neighbors went silent. Fearful of angering the hospital and spoiling the agreement, none of them would go on the record with The Brooklyn Paper.

But Hill confirmed that there was indeed a detente.

“When the neighbors were upset about some of the parts of the plan, we adjusted it,” said Hill. “We tried to be good neighbors and work it out.”

©2007 The Brooklyn Paper

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