Neptune Will Discuss Ocean Grove Parking In January

NEPTUNE, NJ - It is the Holiday break for people on both sides of the contentious Ocean Grove parking issue after Monday's long meeting to gather community opinion over Township Committee Member Carol Rizzo's proposal to do a pilot study requiring permit parking in the Grove's North End.

Parking in the historic district has long been a difficult one for officials, primarily because the district was developed without driveways, which continue to be prohibited there. Throw in Asbury Park's success and the ease in which visitors and residents can park in Ocean Grove and take the bridge back to the city and the shortage becomes even more acute. Consider one more thing, Neptune's neighbor to the south, Bradley Beach now regulates parking as well. And Asbury Park has its own extensive meter and permit system for parking and people view Ocean Grove's free - if limited - parking that is city-adjacent as irrestible.

According to Neptune's agenda for yesterday's meeting, the pilot program was to be discussed during the Township Committee's workshop meeting but Business Administrator Vito Gadaleta said that did not occur.

The next date for discussion of the issue is Jan. 8, he said.

According to Rizzo and others at the meeting, Asbury Park is not innocent in the strangling of Ocean Grove's parking spaces. City residents tell their visitors to park in Ocean Grove and take a cab or Uber over to the city, hogging spaces which ordinarily would go to Ocean Grove residents, according to both sides at Monday's meeting convened at Neptune High School to accommodate the crowd.

Rizzo said initially she thought her pilot program should involve all of Ocean Grove but she ultimately settled on the North End, which is closest to the Asbury Park boundary and thus more subject to pilfering by people visiting there. The proposed study area is from Wesley Lake through to Heck Avenue, which it would include as north-to-south boundaries and the Ocean Grove Gates to Ocean Avenue, east to west, where there are 1,025 spaces.

Rizzo proposes permit parking on one side of the street except for the streets near the lake, Asbury Park and the North End condominiums and apartments. Under the pilot program, a commercial zone from Main Avenue to Central to New York Avenue would have two-to-three hour parking between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Merchants have already said they favor a measure that would increase parking turnover in the commercial district.

Rizzo's proposal includes these factoids: There are 3,049 residential units in Ocean Grove, of which 1,734 are occupied year-round. There are 3,015 full-time residents, half of whom live alone. Their median age is 53. Some 1,055 residents are older than 62 and 815 are above the age of 65. Almost 70 percent are women. Density is the second highest on the Jersey Shore.

Take that math and apply life to it, Rizzo says: Too many elderly people feel trapped, not leaving their homes even for critical trips such as doctor appointments or to refill medications for fear they will lose their parking spot or be unable to find another.

Some behavior related to the lack of parking has led to dangerous developments such as cars parking in fire zones; people getting aggressive and slashing tires of cars that have overstayed their welcomes or "reserving spaces" by putting traffic cones, garbage cans or lawn chairs in the street.

Permits would be one to a family depending on availability. If there are extras, the town could consider allowing more than one permit for each property owner. There would be no physical permits. Rather, the property owner would enter his or her license plates into a data base and a license reader would then be used by a special law enforcement officer who would employ it in the summer, mainly on weekends, from May 15 to Sept.15.

The cost for the pilot is $100,000 or so. Any ticket revenue would go to the police department. The pilot is not intended to make money, only break even, Rizzo said. Permits would likely cost $70 to $90 in the first year but if the pilot is successful, the cost would go down in the second year to $20 0r $30 but property owners would not save money by waiting until the second year. They would pay first-year fees during their first year in the program, no matter what year they enter. Rizzo said that keeps things fair.

Ocean Grove parking will be discussed in the new year. Image via Shutterstock.
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