Point Beach Parking Rate Hike Ordinance Passes First Reading

POINT PLEASANT BEACH, NJ — Parking on public streets and in municipal lots in Point Pleasant Beach would cost local residents more if an ordinance that would bring about the first rate hike in nearly a decade gains approval later this month.

An ordinance which that would increase the price of parking by 25 cents passed first reading following a vote of the Point Pleasant Borough Council at its Tuesday meeting. Mayor Paul Kanitra said that the ordinance will go through a second reading at the council’s next meeting on March 16 and if passed, the ordinance would go into effect thereafter, Kanitra said.

The ordinance states that Kanitra and members of the Borough Council are aware of the need for the continuing need to regulate parking prices in designated areas around Point Pleasant Beach.

Borough Council President Arlene Testa told Patch in an email that in the time since the last parking increase was instituted, the price of providing a clean and safe environment for tourists has grown significantly. For that reason, the increase has become necessary.

"This ensures we can continue providing public access while still keeping our town beautiful," Testa wrote in an email. "Parking is an extremely limited resource here in Point Pleasant Beach and it needs to be priced accordingly."

The increase would be across the board for hourly parking rates in effected areas, Kanitra said.