Free parking considered for holiday season
Council expected to address issue at next meeting
Members of the Asbury Park City Council are expected to address the issue of holiday parking rates at their next meeting on Nov. 26.
Options are free parking, or free parking for three hours, in the downtown and waterfront. Reduced rates are also an option.
One council member says that visitors will be given some type of break on parking.
“There will be holiday parking,” said Councilman John Loffredo at last week’s council meeting. Loffredo is the chairman of the city’s parking committee.
In the past, free parking in the city began around Thanksgiving and extended until the beginning of January. Last year, free three-hour parking started just after Hurricane Sandy hit and extended into late January as several of the city’s pay station were damaged in the storm.
Off-season parking enforcement was also a big topic when a slew of waterfront business owners attended the November parking committee meeting to voice their frustrations with the policy.
“Last year parking meters were alleviated during the holiday season, two years ago there was alleviation on the parking meters,” said Russell Lewis, owner of Watermark lounge. “We hope that there is also alleviation of parking meters this year through the holidays to drive business.”
The business owners also asked whether the three off-street waterfront lots operated by waterfront redeveloper Asbury Partners could be free for the off-season, as they were last year. Asbury Partners spokesperson Brian Cheripka did not respond to a request last week for comment on this issue.
In addition to a discussion on holiday parking, a discussion to hire a parking consultant for the city will also be on the agenda.
The consultant would “assess the entire parking situation in Asbury Park” not only within the busy waterfront and downtown districts, but city-wide, according to Councilwoman Amy Quinn.
The consultant will inventory parking spaces and evaluate lots within the city for potential parking, she said. A separate line item on the budget would address the costs of the consultant.
“Everyone is in favor of getting a parking consultant there to make recommendations,” Lewis said.
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