BY KATHY CHANG
Staff Writer
METUCHEN — With the opening of the Pearl Street parking deck later this month, it may very well likely be the beginning of a new era for downtown Metuchen.
Opening on or about June 20, the state-of-the-art 750-space parking deck that will be six levels is just one piece of the anticipated major development happening downtown. The Pearl Street development project also includes 273 one- and two-bedroom housing units, 13,000 square feet of retail space and a half-acre public piazza.
Councilman Jay Muldoon said some 500 applications for spaces in the deck have been received — 89 requests from borough residents, 404 requests from out of town residents, and seven requests from downtown businesses and employees.
He said the Parking Authority and Nexus Parking Systems have been working on the applications for spaces in the deck.
“There will be a cap on the initial registration at 500 until we see how the operation of the deck goes including traffic flow in and out of the deck,” said Muldoon.
The deck will have two points of ingress and egress; however, with the continued construction of the Woodmont site, the one entrance and exit on Pearl Street will be the only one operational at this time.
“We want to make sure that traffic flow is acceptable and the operation of the deck is satisfactory,” said Muldoon adding that police officers will be on duty at the intersection of Pearl and New streets to assist with traffic flow when the deck opens.
Muldoon said he got a chance to tour the parking deck and called it a “pretty outstanding structure with a lot of technology and security cameras.”
“There are a lot of amenities and free bike racks for commuters,” he said.
Other amenities include 24-hour on-site service representatives, covered parking, self-service kiosks, daily and monthly rates, vehicle charging stations, portable battery jumper service, handicapped parking on every level and elevators on every level.
Muldoon said there will be approximately 30 first-level parking spots for short term parking for shoppers and diners patronizing the downtown area.
“This number can be adjusted,” he said.
The Pearl Street parking deck will be managed and operated by Nexus Parking Systems, which also manages and operates the parking deck and surface lots at MetroPark in the Iselin section of Woodbridge Township.
The deck will serve commuters utilizing the Metuchen Train Station, which according to the New Jersey Department of Transportation, is the ninth busiest outlying station in the New Jersey Transit system with more than 3,700 riders boarding each weekday. The average train ride into New York City is approximately 45 minutes from Metuchen.
The deck will also provide parking for the new Woodmont housing development.
In fall 2012, the Metuchen Parking Authority selected the proposal from Woodmont Properties, LLC and its partners out of seven proposals received in 2011.
The Planning Board approved Woodmont Development, LLC’s proposed development in July 2014 and the Pearl Street Lot closed in summer 2015.