Bedford Park locals have always had difficulty finding parking, becoming a frustrating scourge in the upper Bronx neighborhood. But with one parking garage gone and others with rising rates, locals may have to settle with what they have.

The New York Botanical Garden parking garage has been a focal point of aggression over its rising monthly prices. When the garage first opened in 2012, it offered an “introductory fee” of $99 for residential, monthly parking. The residential membership includes access to the garden and 24/7 accessibility to the garage.

The garage received a total of $41 million in city and state funding towards the construction of the garage. Since 2012, their rates have increased incrementally, leading up to the current price of $300 per month for a reserved space and $275 per month for a non-reserved space. Residents are wondering if the Garden is responsible for maintaining more reasonable rates since the garage was publicly funded.

“When I first looked at the garage when I first moved into the neighborhood, monthly fees were a hundred, a hundred-fifty, dollars a months,” said local resident, Jonathan Atkin. “People are also charging $150 to park in their private driveways in the neighborhood.”

“The Garden plans to price the parking memberships at ‘market rate,’ depending on how much other garages in the area are charging,” an article from the Daily News reported in 2010. Their prices are now surpassing the competition’s.

The Norwood News reached out to other garages in the area, inquiring about their monthly rates. Central Parking at 3450 Bainbridge Ave. charges customers a meager $115 per month. The garage has maxed out on their spaces. Other nearby garages’ rates ranged from $230 to $400.

While the Botanical Garden owns the property, a spokesman deferred questions to the management company managing the day-to-day, Manhattan Parking Group. A spokesman for the management company, did not directly answer why the rates are climbing higher, though mentioned that they charge market rates. The spokesman did not respond to questions over whether the garage has a duty to residents to keep lower rates because the garage was publically funded.

For anyone seeking convenience, drivers appear to be at the mercy of the lot since another garage has been permanently demolished.

A public garage in Bedford Park came down via demolition after it partially collapsed in early 2017. A posted sign indicates the property will be converted into retail space, nixing the prospect of a garage once again.

Owners plan to rebuild the space at 3000 Jerome Ave. just near Bedford Park Boulevard. Residents passing by the clear lot hope owners consider a parking lot.

The garage, once known as Dr. Parking Garage, had at one point charged customers an overnight rate of $11, a bargain for one Bedford Park resident who only went by “BB.” Meantime, Maria, another resident passing by the empty lot, said she was forced to sell her car because finding a spot after the garage closed was impossible. Another resident, who did not give their name, said the new building should be more than two floors as was the case with the former garage.

But plans found hanging on the property’s perimeter fence show a two-story retail space is planned, and not a garage. The new space is expected to be completed by next year.

The garage collapse in February last year destroyed more than a dozen cars. Many drivers who depended on the lot could not retrieve their damage vehicles for months. The building’s owner, Fordec Realty Corp., was hit with a $4,000 fine following the collapse.

A company representative for the company did not return a call seeking comment. A representative for Valentino Pompeo Architect, P.C., the architect that drafted plans for the retail space, did not return a call seeking comment.

Miriam Quinones contributed to this report.