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Management of the city’s parking infrastructure is the key to getting a handle on parking, according to a study compiled by Desman Associates.

“You have a system that is generating $2.5 million annually but no one managing the system, no one analyzing the system, no one planning for the system,” Senior Associate Gregory Shumate said. “I don’t know of anyone who has a business enterprise making that kind of money and not have a specialist or someone in the know that is monitoring it or guiding it.”

The New York based Desman Assosciates was hired last year to anyalize the best way to meet parking demands from the city’s revitalization.

While the parking study looked at the Springwood Avenue redevelopment zone, its focus was on the Central Business District [CBD], Waterfront, and Main Street redevelopment zones. With limited public parking spaces available in those three zones, the Desman report recommendations include:

Hiring a Parking Utility Manager: 

“This is the most important thing the City of Asbury Park needs to do,” Senior Associate Gregory Shumate said. “From a management standpoint you have to get a person hired that will oversee everything. We think it’s critical to hire a parking professional with some level of supervisory experience.”

Limiting Permit Parking:

Shumate said there is a need to not only cut back on permit holders but to create eligibility requirements. According to the report permit holders rose 12 percent from 1,073 in 2012 to 1,203 in 2014.

Analysis indicates that some permit holders do have off-street parking availability but are purchasing the $30 a year permit for guests or as an extra resource, Shumate said. His recommendation, increase the rate to at least market value – $100 per month.

“We don’t know how much of the permits are legitimate or just that people are taking advantage of the fact that they are so economically priced,” Shumate said. “There should be some eligibility requirements not just because you live in Asbury but because there is a need to park on street because you really have no other choice. Right now you can buy two or three permits if you live in Asbury.”

Metered parking:

The city’s total parking supply in the three redevelopment zones is 3,895 spaces. There are 2,100 metered parking spaces.

Shumate recommends establishing demand pricing rates for the summer versus off season as well as for particular pockets of high traffic areas.

Meters could be added to a portion of Main Street and at the municipal owned lots, including Fisherman’s North Beach Parking Lot.

Waterfront and Fisherman’s Lot:

Three privately owned parking lots offer a total of 686 parking spaces and there are close to 2,100 metered parking spaces. No solution can fully address the surge of parking needed along the waterfront during the summer season, Shumate said.

One recommendation would be to require iStar Financial to complete their contractual obligation to improve the parking lot located in the north end of the Waterfront Redevelopment zone. He said while the study found that the Fisherman’s lot’s 110 spaces are well utilized during the peak summer season, with a 4-hour turnover rate.

CBD:

While the downtown corridor does have metered on street parking, there is not a lot of turnover, Shumate said. The recommendation would be to establish hourly limits at least during the day along Cookman Avenue.

Another problem here is that off-street parking garages are privately owned.

“That’s an unusual situation where you have a downtown where you don’t have off street parking… right at the heart of the city,” Shumate said. “There’s no option except for the Bangs Avenue Garage.”

Bangs Avenue Garage:

The City sold the Bangs Avenue parking garage to the State of New Jersey in 1999.  The garage is open to the public on weekends but primarily is used to support the functions at the State Office building during weekday business hours, the report reads.

Shumate recommends replacing the guard with automated equipment that could analyze parking within the four-level structure. Currently the city leases spaces from the state and provides free parking from 5 p.m to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday but those hours could be expanded to seven days a week.

Main Street:

The majority of the parking activity is between Lake and Third avenues therefore Shumate recommends adding meters along that corridor. Meters could generate $73,000 annual revenue, he said.

Municipal Lot:

Acting city manager Anthony Nuccio said there are three options for the municipal parking lot improvement. All require milling and paving the lot as well as adding meters.

The first option would leave the existing spaces as is. The second would widen the lot on each side – allowing for 14 additional spaces. The third option creates diagonal parking thereby gaining 26 additional spaces but would require losing some green space. All options need fire department approval.

The report also recommends utilizing the 87-space transit parking lot along Memorial Drive, owned by the city.

Private lots:

Partnering with local developers in a parking lot licensing agreement could help alleviate parking restrictions especially in the CBD and Waterfront redevelopment zones, Shumate said.

Proposed parking includes iStar’s Kingsley and 7^th Avenue lot, Sackman Enterprise’s proposed Bangs Avenue redevelopment and its existing Mattison Avenue parking garage, as well as the VFW’s Lake Avenue parking lot.

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