Parking authority preps presentation for council
‘Transit village’ concept suggested by expert for Elberon train station
By carolyn o’connell
Staff Writer
LONG BRANCH — The parking authority is expected to make a presentation before the mayor and council after reviewing the current parking situation in the city.
Last month the parking authority requested that Gerard Giosa, director of parking services of Wiley Engineering, Hauppauge, Long Island, N.Y., identify sources of parking revenue for the authority.
Giosa identified seven areas, including the future Beachfront North municipal lots and the areas of Old Ocean Avenue, Brighton Avenue and Ocean Avenue across from Seven Presidents Park.
The study considered expanding parking space near the Third Avenue train station by using lots adjacent to Prime Liquors as well as parking at the Elberon train station, and contracting agreements with private entities for the purpose of public parking.
Giosa told the parking authority commissioners that approximately 100 spaces can be made available in two years by using the great lawns at Beachfront North.
Giosa estimates that between Old Ocean Avenue, Brighton Avenue and Ocean Avenue across from Seven Presidents Park, there is a potential for 307 parking spaces.
Fee collection for those spaces can be accomplished by installing slot boxes costing approximately $1,500.
Parking authority Chairman John Villipiano questioned how it would be received going from nonpaid parking to paid.
City administrator Howard H. Woolley Jr. suggested that the authority take that question to the council, noting that paid parking is already in place in West End to create turnover of those spots.
As for parking on Ocean Avenue along the boardwalk, parking commissioner Simon Scove said that the spaces on the west side of the street should be moved to the east side.
Giosa said that moving parking to the east side of the avenue would prevent beachgoers from having to cross the avenue to get to the boardwalk.
In addition, he said, driveways on the west side would not get blocked by parked cars.
"If the grass strip were removed," said Villipiano, "it would create more room on the avenue for parking cars and traffic."
The concept of removing the grass median had been brought up in prior City Council meetings by resident Michael Palughi of Pavilion Avenue.
Palughi also attended the authority meeting and again made the suggestion.
Woolley said the grassy area is a part of the Pier Village redevelopment and that matter should be discussed with the city’s planning professionals.
"I don’t know if that will fly too well," said Woolley. "It hasn’t been approved by the council in the past. I’m not so sure if it will now."
On Third Avenue, near the train station, Giosa identified four lots which could yield another 89 spaces.
The parking commissioners agreed to speak with the new owners of the Casey Jones restaurant to use part of the restaurant’s parking lot as an additional source for spaces.
Giosa said that NJ Transit may contribute up to 100 percent of the cost to convert the parcels into four lots for parking.
As for the Elberon train station, the question remains if NJ Transit owns the parking along Truax Street.
Before any plans for parking are made for that area, Giosa said, ownership must be clarified.
Giosa suggested that if the 139-space lot adjacent to the train station is owned by the city, it may be a good candidate for a transit village designation since the parking lot is underused.
According to Giosa, a transit village is a community with high-density housing which can offer a municipality several benefits including more tax ratables.
If that concept were to come to fruition, according to Giosa’s study, 13 townhouse units could be built, leaving 53 parking spaces for commuters.
"There could be a lot of ramifications to this," said Woolley. "Approval for a transit village first needs to come from the city."
Parking agreements with private entities, said Giosa, "should be made on a case-by-case basis."
"Arrangements such as these are made when a pressing need for public parking exists in a specific area," he added.
The lot behind the Monmouth Community Bank, which currently provides 30 spaces along the southeast corner of Ocean Boulevard and West End Avenue, should be considered, Giosa said.
Currently the city retains 79 fee-based spaces on West End Avenue and Brighton Avenue which Giosa said should be monitored for one or two beach seasons to identify whether the demand for spaces exceeds the supply.
Additionally, 156 public parking spaces will be made available in the Pier Village development but are not expected to be ready for another two years.
Giosa estimates that if the authority were to implement seasonal parking, $26,700 in revenue could be earned in the first year with an estimate of $208,800 by the fourth year, if all seven areas identified for paid parking were used.