Surely one of the topics to be discussed during the Municipal Campaign is parking. When the Davis administration arrived in office parking concerns were a major issue in the community. At the core of the problem was existing two family homes that had 4,5,6 cars. Many of the existing homes have little or no off-street parking. The plethora of car ports have only exasperated the problem. So we have a parking problem coupled with a need for development. What to do? Well here is what the Davis team has done:
- New parking garage behind Barnabas Hospital. The garage is open to the public and has quadrupled the available parking compared to the old lot that was located at the site.
- New structured parking set to be built just off of Broadway on 22nd Street. This facility will triple the parking at the site.
- All new development projects are required to have sufficient parking for their residents.
- Encouraging new development projects that will attract new residents who are not dependent on owning multiple cars.
- Implementing a bike share program to help reduce the need for car ownership.
- Requiring the new McDonald’s to provide the City with additional parking spaces.
It is important to note that Mayor Davis vetoed the ordinance to charge residents $50.00 to park in front of their driveway. The Mayor has promised that such a fee will never be implemented.
More still needs to be done and this writer is pleased with the progress made so far and has confidence that the Mayor will continue to work to resolve our parking issues. Our parking problems were created over decades on neglect and can’t be fixed with a snap of the fingers. Hard work over a period of time has and will continue to produce results. Thank you Mayor Davis for all your efforts on this issue.
Bayonne Blogger