With the beach season in full swing, the City Council voted 9-0 to renew the license for Richard Pratt to operate his 225-space private parking lot at 2 Beachland Ave. for another five years, from May 1, 2025 through April 30, 2030.
The lot provides access to one of the most beautiful beaches in the area at a time when beach access in general is becoming restricted by private ownership, said Gloucester attorney Mary Jo Montagnino, who represents Pratt, during an Aug. 13 public hearing in the Rose Baker Senior Center.
The Long Beach Parking Lot sits amid homes, condominiums, cottages and motels about a block away from Long Beach and the border with Rockport, on the southern end of Long Beach. Only a sliver of the beach’s southern end sits in Gloucester and the remainder is in Rockport.
The roughly 4-acre beach parking lot has amenities such as restrooms, showers and trash collection. It’s been a seasonal parking lot since 1958.
On July 17, Montagnino told the council’s Planning and Development Standing Committee the lot provides a service to the community for overflow parking and it takes cars off local roads.
The cost to park there is $20 Monday through Friday and $35 on weekends. The lot fills up about 10-12 times a year, Montagnino told Planning and Development, and there are 40-60 cars parked there on any given day, meeting minutes state.
Planning and Development and then the full council unanimously backed the license renewal with conditions, including that the lot would hold no more than 225 cars, and that such things as hours of operation, hours the restrooms are open, and fees charged for parking be posted.
Neighbors gave Pratt’s parking lot high marks with a few concerns.
“Mr. Pratt runs it really well. He hires local kids. They do clean up. I would point out that the service is really to Rockport,” said Leonard A. Gyllenhaal of 32 Rockport Road. “Most of the people go on the Rockport side.”
At times there are problems with cars queuing in front of his driveway, Gyllenhaal said. However, the parking lot attendants help him back out.
There is a problem with beachgoers who come in late causing problems with trash and noise, Gyllenhaal said.
Bill McLaughlin of 30B Rockport Road said his condominium association favors the lot and said his daughter works there along with other neighborhood youths.
Rob Russell of 40 Rockport Road had written an email in opposition and then chimed in on Zoom.
Pratt “has done a reasonably good job” and earned deserved kudos from neighbors, Russell said, but he described a situation that from Memorial Day to July 1 there are no lifeguards on the beach. He suggested Pratt foot the bill for them.
“There have been more fights in the last 10 years on this beach,” Russell said, adding that this was not Pratt’s fault.
Russel said the fault lies with Gloucester “not putting in controls and conditions and checking.”
Russell also suggested that when the lot is full, it should not take in any more cars to prevent cars from queuing on Rockport Road. McLaughlin, however, said he did not have an issue with cars queued on his road.
Pratt said if cars come down and the lot is full there’s an attendant who keeps the cars moving.
Russell also took issue with people who show up midafternoon with coolers and their rowdy behavior on the beach.
“I think it’s a mistake to say to people if you can’t get here by 5, you are out of luck,” Montagnino rebutted.
Councilor at-Large Jason Grow, who chairs the Planning and Development subcommittee, asked about hours of operation.
Pratt said lot is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and the restrooms and showers are open until 7 p.m. Pratt said there’s sign that states cars parked overnight would be towed.
When Grow asked about enforcement, Building Commissioner Rob Vicari said if he gets a call with a complaint he will send one of his inspectors to make sure the lot is not overcrowded.
The operation has not had an issue with queuing since the city instituted its out-of-town beach parking reservation system in recent years, Pratt said.
The lot has only filled up two or three times this season, he said, “so it’s not a problem.”
Ward 1 Councilor Scott Memhard said the parking lot is a community service that’s well maintained and organized, and not an undue burden on the neighborhood.
“I hear more about speeding on Rockport Road than I do about parking issues or queuing,” he said.
Ethan Forman may be contacted at 978-675-2714, or at eforman@northofboston.com.