Wildwood Sets $250 Fee for Premium Parking Permits

WILDWOOD — After making objections at several public meetings, seasonal parkers in this city won a concession from the governing body and won’t be paying as much for metered spots near the Boardwalk as they originally thought.
At a regular meeting April 28, Wildwood Commission extended the deadline for the early purchase price of $100 for Class B seasonal parking permits, for meters west of Atlantic Avenue, until June 1. After that date, those permits will cost $150. The early purchase deadline had been April 15.
Commissioners also reduced the cost of the class a permit, east of Atlantic Avenue and closer to the beaches and Boardwalk, to $250 from $400. When the ordinance was originally discussed, the Class A permit price was $600.
Last year, there was only one permit that cost $125 or $75 if purchased early.
Dozens of concerned permit buyers had voiced their objections to the proposed prices at the past several public hearings on the ordinance. It was finally approved on April 14 at $400 and then changed through a resolution on April 28.
Mayor Gary DeMarzo said the $250 price tag for those permits would be consistent with the price in Wildwood Crest.
“We’re deep into the season and we’ve been working on this ordinance since early in the year,” he said. “Coupled with public feedback, my recommendation is to reduce that $400 to $250 for this season alone. If we see the permitting process and parking issues, through experience and input, develop, we can change it again.”
Commissioners Edward Harshaw and Al Brannen agreed.