Proposed Parking Ordinance Draws Discrimination Claim In Brick

BRICK, NJ — A proposed ordinance that would ban parking along three streets in Lake Riviera was labeled discriminatory and anti-business Tuesday night at the Brick Township Council meeting.

The ordinance, which was introduced with a first reading Tuesday night, would ban parking between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday along both sides of Duquesne Boulevard, North Lake Shore Drive between Duquesne and Bethany Lane, and Lafayette Drive between Duquesne and Bates Way.

The proposed ordinance is in response to what Mayor John Ducey said were numerous complaints about overflow parking along Duquesne that was causing problems for residents who live along Duquesne in particular.

The overflow is coming from the building owned by Tryko Partners, at 635 Duquesne Blvd., residents and an attorney for Tryko, said Tuesday night.

Tryko Partners sits on the corner of land sandwiched between Duquesne and Route 70, across from Target. The building also houses the offices of a chiropractor, Jeremy Deichman, and Select Medical, an outpatient care/rehabilitation company.

Tryko Partners is described as a private equity real estate group that purchases "multifamily properties, healthcare facilities and tax liens throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states, and in the greater Chicago market in the Midwest," according to the company's website. It has more than 100 employees, but it is not clear how many of those work at the Brick Township location.

There was no public hearing on the ordinance because it was a first reading and introduction, but during public comment, Isaac Sassoon, attorney for Tryko Partners, criticized the proposed ordinance, saying it was punishing the business for growing.

"This is extremely disheartening," he said, saying township officials never told him there was a parking ban being and that the first he knew of it was when he learned the proposed ordinance was on the agenda. He said the conflict was a recent development, resulting from the company's growth, and that the restrictions would curtail it from growing more.

"This would really handcuff us," Sassoon said. "To me, the focus on these streets alone is discriminatory." He said no other streets in the township have similar parking bans. He also said that a discussion of the problems on a Facebook page had contained "very racial overtones."

Sassoon urged the council to scrap the ordinance, and said residents in the area had made inflammatory comments to some of the people coming to do business at Tryko

"You guys should really look at this very closely," he said. "There are issues we need to discuss. I think this is discriminatory."

Township Attorney Kevin Starkey called the discrimination allegation "outrageous."

"There is nothing racial or religious about this," Starkey said. "This council has no discriminatory intent. To suggest anything to the contrary is outrageous."

Jim Stoever, who has lived on Duquesne Boulevard for 30 years, said the parking problem has been going on since Tryko moved its offices into the building.

"They park up to my driveway on either side, making it hard to get out of my driveway on to Duquesne," said Stoever, an unofficial spokesman for the group of neighbors who have complained about the parking issue.

Duquesne Boulevard has long been a busy street, and the corner where Tryko sits is particularly troublesome, with motor vehicle crashes common at the intersection years ago. The intersection has been reconfigured somewhat to reduce speeds along the stretch, but the area remains tricky.

Scott Logan, another Duquesne Boulevard resident, said a woman across the street from him had put out cones to make space for the landscaping company that cares for her lawn, and someone moved the cones so they could park there instead.

Stoever said other residents have had issues of not receiving mail because postal carriers cannot reach the mailboxed that are blocked by parked cars.

"I don't understand why there's not an ordinance banning people from blocking the mailbox," Logan said. He suggested the council consider limiting parking to two hours, saying a similar ordinance exists in Neptune, where he works, to limit the problems of on-street parking.

Stoever said a petition he started has signatures from 44 neighbors along Duquesne that runs between Route 70 and Brick Boulevard, all from people who are frustrated with the situation. "Every single door I knocked on said yes and signed the petition," he said.

Council President Paul Mummolo said the council could not respond to questions about the ordinance during the meeting because it was only the introduction, not the public hearing. But he said the issue is balancing the needs of businesses with needs of the township's residents.

"We welcome expansion," Council Vice President Marianna Pontoriero said. "But expansion can't occur at the expense of the quality of life for our residents."

"There's a dialogue that needs to happen," she said. "I think there are ways to accommodate both."

But after the council meeting, Sassoon spoke with Ducey and Business Adminstrator Joanne Bergin for several minutes, in a very terse conversation that led to no resolution as he urged them to delay action on the ordinance to give him time to address the issues.

Stoever said after the meeting that the issue had been going on for months.

"This is an every-day occurrence," he said.

The public hearing is scheduled for Sept. 27.

Top photo: Isaac Sassoon (center) listens to other speakers during the Brick Township Council meeting. Residents of the Duquesne Boulevard area (foreground) listen intently. They say parking issues have vexed them for months. Karen Wall photo