Local Small Businesses And Workers Land On Free Parking

BEDFORD, NY — It is no secret that small businesses have been hit especially hard by more than a year of pandemic-related restrictions and economic challenges. Small businesses in the hamlets of Katonah and Bedford Hills are getting relief from the Bedford Town Board in an unexpected way.

The board announced some parking fees for business owners and their employees will be waived. The town will forgo application fees on parking permits valid from April 1 through August 30. The permits covered under the temporary relief measure will only allow free parking in Lot 2 in Katonah and Lot 8 in Bedford Hills.

Before the free parking permits are issued, business owners must furnish the town with an employees list as well as vehicle license plate information before applying online. Although residents still have the option of applying for parking permits through the mail, the employees-only free parking passes can only be obtained by business owners who must apply through the town’s online parking portal.

Not having to feed a parking meter might be a matter of small change, but for shopkeepers struggling to keep their heads above water in an economy that has been turned upside down by a global pandemic, every little bit helps.