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Parking in Asbury Park – or the lack thereof – has come to a head not only for residents but for the City and local developers.

The conversation picked up momentum a couple weeks ago when longtime downtown resident Robert Weiner brought the matter up at a City Council meeting.

Weiner, who has been following development in his neighborhood, officially known as the Central Business District [CBD], questioned if anyone was tracking the lack of parking being provided by residential developers who opt to pay into a city parking fund in lieu of providing the required parking.

The in lieu of parking fund was established by a previous governing body. It launched with a $25,000 per parking spot required payment but was lowered to $11,000 when no in lieu of parking payments were being made. It was lowered again to $3,000 as an incentive to spur development, officials have said.

But once redevelopment reached its current upswing, the governing body vetted neighboring and similar municipalities and determined a $15,000 per required stall payment was better suited.  

The per unit calculation for off-street parking is 1½ per unit.

During Monday night’s Planning Board meeting, Sackman Enterprises’ presentation for the redevelopment of 527 Bangs Avenue was criticized by neighboring residents.

Located at the northeast corner of Emory Street across from Pascal and Sabine, the plans call for 42 residential units. Project attorney Andrew Karas described the plans as a renovation and restoration of the existing two-story building with two additional floors.

They would provide 15 on-site parking spaces at the adjacent parking lot, creating a 48 stall deficit. Three floors of residential units would be added above, thereby adjoining the two lots.

The 601 Bangs Street residents who live above the brasserie questioned why a parking study was not done since vehicle and foot traffic in the area is often congested, especially when the eatery has deliveries.

On Wednesday Mayor John Moor opened the City Council workshop meeting by directly addressing the matter.

“We have known for several years we have a problem with more units coming online in the CBD that is not providing parking,” Moor said. “It’s getting worse every year, every month, every day. It’s obviously a problem. It’s time we get something else in place because giving people the incentive to pay into a parking fund is not helping us whatsoever. The city has to take some type of action. What action, I don’t know. Whether it is buying a piece of property to build a parking garage; is it going to be [getting] together with a private individual to build a parking garage; or is it changing the ordinance where people cannot pay into a parking fund.”

Moor directed the administration to produce a report in order to ascertain what a feasible long term and immediate course of action would be.

“I’m very much behind developing a parking deck in conjunction with the city at 607 Mattison, which is dead set in the middle of the district [CBD],” Sackman said. “I don’t particularly want 15 spaces for 42 units either and I don’t want someone to have to walk seven blocks. So what’s ideal is 100 feet away, where we could create 500 and some odd parking spaces. Then there is not going to be the deficiencies.”   

Sackman said 607 Mattison Avenue is a 24,000 square foot site capable of accommodating the proposed parking deck.  

“It’s ideally situated,” he said. “But I want to do it in a financially responsible way because people don’t want to spend a lot of money for parking. The best way I know how to finance something like that would be low-cost funds in a private and public partnership.”

His proposal would include utilizing bond and grant funds, with a $250,000 annual commitment from the city, which could be drawn from its parking fund.

“They are generating, to my knowledge  $4.6 million a year [gross]. We are talking about a $250,000 per year commitment off that $4.6 million and we can build a 570 car deck and solve all these issues everyone is complaining about.”

Both Moor and City Manager Michael Capabianco said they want to move the idea forward as quickly as possible.

“The Mayor and administration are in complete support with immediately moving forward with such a plan,” Capabianco said.

“I’m not a mind-reader, this is the first time we are hearing about this,” Moor said. “We wish he would bring it to the table immediately. As proposed, we agree a 250,000 annual commitment by the city is workable and can be taken out of the parking fund.”

But that parking deck would be a part of Sackman Enterprises’ proposed urban farm grocery store that would also house 97 residential units consisting of studio, one and two bedroom options.

In the interim, Sackman has proposed utilizing mechanical stackers that could be transferred from site to site as his development continues in the CBD.

“We have buildings that we are developing and we have vacant lots, for example across from the Savoy,” he said. “We want to do it in the most efficient way.”

While he maintains the portable stackers would help balance parking during his development in the CBD, Sackman said the City and developers have to come together to solve the overall crisis.

“I think it takes not just looking at one option or one individual property owner because when we are in transition to build a five or a seven-level deck there will be some upheaval,” he said. “That’s a very large project, dead center in the district that will create some upheaval for everyone. So I think it’s important that we all work together.

“It’s very clear that there are iStar lots,” he said. “There’s one iStar lot right now that they expanded on and there’s plenty of lands next to it. We have to come together as a community and ensure that during that 2½ year-long building process that there are other options. It’s a global effort for the community to try and solve this because it will be an issue.”

iStar’s Senior Vice President Brian Cheripka said from a parking standpoint, each of their residential and hotel projects along the waterfront is self-sufficient.

“We are required to provide one and a half spaces per home, and one space per hotel room,” he said. “Each new iStar project provides adequate parking.”

With regard to a global approach to the parking crisis, Cheripka said he is in agreement.

“iStar has proven itself to be a committed partner in helping the City address the parking issues caused by the increase in visitors and commercial development,” he said. “In fact, we have invested approximately $1 million in bringing our three newest parking lots online.

“In total, we provide Asbury Park with 900 off-street parking spaces in our lots,” he said. “In terms of creating additional parking, we have always maintained that, given proper incentives, private developers are in the best position to partner with the City to quickly address long-term parking needs.”

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