STONE HARBOR – Two different ways to deal with the parking problems that the borough ran into last year got strong support from the council at its Feb. 6 meeting. One was to do away with paid parking entirely; the other was to do nothing at all.
In 2023 the borough suffered negative publicity that reached even national press outlets when its switch to a smartphone app as the sole way to pay for parking backfired, causing a soaring number of tickets issued to residents and visitors. The council has since been considering how to avoid a repeat of the problem.
Council President Frank Dallahan said at the Feb. 6 meeting that one option is to do away with paid parking entirely. Dallahan did not elaborate on how such a policy would be implemented or what its impact might be.
Stone Harbor uses paid parking to support its business community. The concept is that paid parking produces turnover in parking spaces in the district and thereby increases traffic to stores and eateries.
The business community, through the chamber of commerce, has voiced concern over the negative experience many visitors experienced in 2023, but the chamber has also made it clear that paid parking is seen as an essential support for creating foot traffic in the business district.
The other issue with the elimination of paid parking is that the borough budget includes more than $400,000 a year in anticipated revenue from parking, which goes to the bottom line of the general fund budget.
Given that the council is in the midst of its budgeting for 2024, any decision to do away with parking revenue will need to be made soon. The council has not yet set parking rates for the 2024 season.
The second option that gathered support from the council is doing nothing. Several council members indicated that the problems with parking and the use of the ParkMobile app seemed to decline as the 2023 season came to a close. They argued that more visitors appeared to be gaining comfort with the app.
The borough is increasing its signage as a way of informing new visitors about the app and notifying them when they are in a paid parking zone. With increasing acclimation to the app and the additional signage, those who support leaving the present system in place urge patience.
At the meeting borough Administrator Manny Parada presented the council with a brief document summarizing the highlights of his parking options presentation at a previous council meeting. The document did not make a recommendation to the council.
Other options that the council has discussed include a return to some number of credit-card-operated kiosks, shortening the pay-to-park season, shortening the day hours for paid parking and creating a parking permit for seniors.
The borough charges for parking in and near its business district from May 1 to Oct. 1.
Based on comments from visitors and merchants, the problems in 2023 stemmed from a cold-turkey switch to the parking app, with no temporary overlap with the borough’s previous meter and kiosk system.
Some said that there was also a lack of sufficient signage to both announce the change and clarify whether a driver was in a pay-to-park zone.
A major sticking point was that some residents and visitors did not easily adapt to the technology of an app-driven system.
No decisions were made at the meeting, and the discussion is expected to continue at the council’s next work session. The council meets on the first and third Tuesday of each month at 4:30 p.m.
Contact the author, Vince Conti, at vconti@cmcherald.com.
