Scarborough’s ongoing effort to balance beach access, neighborhood safety and its tourism economy has come to a head in Pine Point, where plans to permanently repave Jones Creek Drive this fall have divided residents and business owners over on-street parking.

The discussion comes amid a series of parking changes adopted over the past two summers that reduced on-street parking at Scarborough beaches, including Pine Point. 

Maine Water replaced more than 4,700 feet of water main to improve water quality and increase fire flows, requiring Jones Creek Drive to be excavated. After the project was completed in June, Scarborough temporarily restriped Jones Creek Drive for the summer, removing 10 of its 35 on-street parking spaces, Town Manager Tom Hall said.

This fall, town staff will determine the permanent roadway design before paving begins. The current proposal would remove six additional on-street parking spaces — bringing the total reduction to 16 — in an effort to improve pedestrian visibility and traffic safety, Hall said.

No final Jones Creek Drive roadway design has been approved, officials said.

The Pine Point Association, which represents about 200 households, surveyed residents about the temporary restriping to communicate neighborhood feedback to town officials, said President George Mageles. The 89 responses were divided: Some favored eliminating on-street parking altogether, while others wanted every space restored.

“This issue does not have one voice,” Mageles said.

While business owners said they share the town’s safety concerns, they said reducing parking is the wrong solution.

DJ and Cindi Ingersoll have owned Salty Bay Seafood Bar & Grill since 2011. They said the restaurant, which has operated on Jones Creek Drive since 1975, has 21 designated spaces, but also relies on nearby street parking. The Ingersolls said the parking dispute contributed to their decision to put the restaurant up for sale in October.

“We won’t be able to compete,” Cindi Ingersoll said.

Demi Kulacz grabs a sign as the municipal parking lot fills up at Higgins Beach. (Derek Davis/Staff Photographer)

The Jones Creek Drive debate is the latest chapter in Scarborough’s broader effort to rethink parking at town-run beaches. Changes adopted before last summer replaced tiered daily rates in lots with a flat $20 fee and capped the number of nonresident season passes, which cost $200 per vehicle, at 350, Hall said. The town also reduced on-street parking in the Higgins Beach and Pine Point Beach neighborhoods.

On-street parking on the ocean side of Bayview Avenue at Higgins has been reduced to 14 one-hour metered spaces and, in addition to the Jones Creek Drive changes, five spaces on East Grand Avenue at Pine Point have been eliminated, Hall said.

Hall said municipal beach lots still have space on most summer days and that the changes to lot and street access were intended to address safety rather than significantly reduce parking capacity.

Ordinance Committee Chair Karin Shupe said the overhaul was intended to preserve resident beach access and improve safety in areas with limited visibility. Scarborough’s allotment of nonresident season passes sold out in a record five hours this spring, compared with nearly three weeks last year, Town Clerk Kristen Barth said.

Hall attributed the rush to rising demand for Scarborough beaches and greater awareness of the cap after passes sold out last year. Shupe also said eliminating early bird discounts made season passes more attractive to frequent nonresident beachgoers.

People visit Ferry Beach in Scarborough. (Derek Davis/Staff Photographer)<?xml version="1.0"?> Purchase this image PINE POINT PARKING DISPUTE

According to the Pine Point Association’s survey results, which the Portland Press Herald reviewed, residents who supported reducing parking on Jones Creek Drive generally viewed the redesign as an opportunity to improve pedestrian safety and walkability. The most commonly suggested improvements were sidewalks or dedicated pedestrian pathways, followed by traffic-calming measures.

Hall said the temporary layout provides greater setbacks from driveways and side streets to improve sight distance in compliance with town ordinances. Because Jones Creek Drive has no bike lane or sidewalk, cyclists travel between moving traffic and parked vehicles while pedestrians often walk in the road, he said.

“At the end of the day, what is concerning is that cars are parking on public streets at unpredictable locations, rather than side streets with proper sight distance,” Hall said. “It really amounts to a safety issue in addition to the commercial activity.”

Mageles said the neighborhood association supported the current 10-space reduction as a summer compromise. Business owners, however, say the parking reductions have come at a cost.

Among the opponents is Susan Bayley Clough, a fourth-generation Scarborough resident and owner of Bayley’s Lobster Pound and Stern Seafood. Clough said Jones Creek Drive provides convenient parking for customers, many of whom are older and have difficulty walking longer distances. Clough said she agrees safety should come first, but expressed frustration over securing parking for her business.

“This has been talked about, talked about, talked about and nothing has happened. It’s getting exhausting,” Clough said. “If the town wants this to be a walkable neighborhood, they need to look at Pine Point as a whole.”

Clough began circulating petitions this year urging the town to preserve public parking and reconsider further reductions along Jones Creek Drive. She said she has submitted more than 100 signatures to the town and helped other Pine Point businesses collect roughly 500 overall.

Hall confirmed receiving Clough’s signatures in June. He said the Town Council has been made aware of the petitions, though no formal response has been discussed.

One-hour parking spots in front of Salty Bay Seafood Bar & Grill on Jones Creek Drive in Scarborough on Wednesday morning. (Derek Davis/Staff Photographer)<?xml version="1.0"?> Purchase this image

The Ingersolls argued that removing parking could create other safety concerns by forcing beachgoers to walk farther along busy roads.

“The safety concern is making a single mom with three children walk a mile on the public road from her parking spot to the water,” Cindi Ingersoll said.

Mageles said the neighborhood association plans to gather public feedback at its September board meeting before sharing its recommendations with town staff. Town Council Chair Cory Fellows said in an email on July 14 that the town will continue gathering public input through the summer before Hall’s office finalizes the design ahead of permanent paving this fall.