Harrison Ave garage soft opening on Dec. 1: MTA

Brandon Duffy
MTA Spokesperson Aaron Donovan said the Harrison Avenue parking garage is expected to open this November. (Photo courtesy of the MTA)

The Harrison Avenue Parking Structure in Mineola will be given a soft opening Dec. 1, according to the MTA. 

Starting Wednesday, the garage will be eligible for opening, although it is unclear whether or not the village plans to do so immediately. 

“There will be a soft opening on December 1 which is when we will hand over administration of the parking garage to the Village,” a spokesman for the MTA said. “LIRR Construction & Development will still be involved with the project and will address any problems that come up.”

In early November, the MTA said that the structure, which has been completed since November 2020, is awaiting approvals for building paperwork and permits before the village takes ownership. 

Last week, Mineola Mayor Scott Strauss said that the development was in the final phase and minor fixes had to be completed before a full transition towards the village.

Reasons for the delay at the time, according to Strauss, include minor drainage issues in the south side basement and outstanding training for village employees for the lighting, ventilation and parking systems. 

Strauss likened the situation to a contractor and has repeatedly said that he will not take ownership of the structure until everything is sorted out. Specific to this project, any future maintenance or work required will be the village’s responsibility once the MTA is completely out of the picture. 

Along with the village’s ownership of the parking garage, Mineola will be able to account for it in the town budget for 2022. Projected revenue from the structure was never able to be included because of the village’s stance on waiting for all issues to be cleared up.

Part of the LIRR Expansion Project, the garage has been constructed at the Mineola station west of Mineola Boulevard between Harrison Avenue and First Street and replaces a surface-level parking area.

The five-level, 551-space garage represents a net increase of 446 parking spaces serving the Mineola station.

The parking garage is one of two being built in conjunction with the Long Island Rail Road’s project, which is adding a third track on the Main Line between Floral Park and Hicksville.

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