“Parking Wars” Inflame Philipse Manor Residents

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Phillipse Manor residents are divided on new parking proposal

April 8, 2026

By Elizabeth Tucker–

Along with seasonal daffodils, signs have sprouted in front lawns in Philipse Manor, urging “Save Our Streets!” and “No Home Rule!” The signs refer to two simultaneous actions by the Village of Sleepy Hollow: First, an amendment to parking code was approved on Tuesday night during a special session of the Board of Trustees. The code, to be tested as a pilot program, will allow three-hour parking from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. from Monday through Saturday in Philipse Manor and unrestricted parking outside of the hours of 1:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. in Sleepy Hollow Manor. Separately, a bill before the state legislature would grant the village “home rule” authority to issue resident parking permits in downtown Sleepy Hollow, Edge-on-Hudson and Philipse Manor. A law dating to 1956 had previously made parking illegal on any street at all times in the two Manors, but the ban was not enforced until March 16 of this year.

Mayor Marjorie Hsu and Trustee Cory Krall explained during Tuesday’s work session that the decision to include Saturday in the parking restrictions was a compromise in response to a large volume of feedback from Philipse Manor residents. While acknowledging that changes can be made to the code at any time, Krall urged that it be kept in place until the end of the calendar year in order to evaluate its impact. During this time, the police department will provide feedback and the board will conduct focus groups with residents. Nonetheless, Trustee Jim Husselbee urged the board to delay voting on the revised code, arguing that another public hearing should be scheduled, allowing for additional comments. According to Husselbee, to rush the revised code into effect without hearing from residents would “erode confidence in local governance itself.”

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At a well-attended public hearing on March 10, Eliot Martone of the Philipse Manor Improvement Association asked for three additional months in which the matter could be studied more closely. Many residents expressed concern that children’s safety would be impaired if cars were allowed to park on the streets. Some worried about strangers coming into the neighborhood at Halloween, or also about burglary in a situation where cars cannot be monitored. Both longtime and new residents argued that on-street parking would destroy the character of the neighborhood.

But some residents spoke in favor of parking near their homes. Rod Salguero of Farrington Ave. described having three cars with only a narrow driveway so that he prefers to park on the street at certain times. He reported going for a run on a weekday afternoon and counting 51 cars parked on the streets—evidence, in his view, that “people have gotten used to the privilege” of parking on the streets without running the risk of getting ticketed. He voiced support for parking permits for residents only.

Since last fall’s election season, the prospect of permits being sold to non-resident commuters using the Philipse Manor train station has raised the ire of many Manor residents. Several days after Halloween, a flier was circulated with the Unite Sleepy Hollow logo asserting “The Democrat/TAG ticket wants to make Philipse Manor a visitor and commuter parking lot.” The purpose of the bill as it is written, however, is to allow Sleepy Hollow to institute permit parking for residents—by neighborhood—throughout the village, a system that is already in place in Tarrytown. At Tuesday’s work session, trustee Jared Rodriguez pointed out that state law prohibits restricting access to public space in a manner that discriminates in favor of residents over non-residents. As such, he concluded, the requested home rule would allow such discrimination.

The home rule bill, currently in committee with the assembly, cites a “lack of residential parking” throughout Sleepy Hollow and “proximity of residential areas to the Philipse Manor and the Tarrytown train stations,” requiring residents to vie for parking with commuters as well as a tourist season that draws 100,000 visitors annually, resulting in “traffic hazards, congestion, air and noise pollution posing a hazard to residents and other pedestrians.” As a result, additional parking restrictions are needed. A petition in favor of the bill has garnered 259 signatures. One signatory, “Jill,” a resident of the Van Tassel apartment building, pointed out that construction at Morse school has worsened conditions for herself and her neighbors since its parking lot has been taken out of use.

According to Anthony Giaccio, Sleepy Hollow’s village administrator, the new code will go into effect in the two Manors as soon as the village can install signs, in approximately two weeks’ time.

The Village of Sleepy Hollow has posted FAQs related to this issue on its website: https://www.sleepyhollowny.gov/890/Neighborhood-Parking-FAQ

(above: along Palmer Ave. leading to the Philipse Manor train station)

(below: satirical image by an unknown author)