Township To Take Closer Look At Main Street Parking Issues In Moorestown

Moorestown, NJ -- Moorestown Council will take a little longer to explore proposed parking changes on Main Street.

The proposed ordinance that was set for introduction at Monday night’s council meeting at town hall included the following changes:

• Both sides of Main Street from Church Street to Chester Avenue;
• Both sides of Chester Avenue from Main Street to Third Street;
• All parking in the Municipal Parking Lot, bound by North Church Street, North Washington Avenue, West Second Street and West Third Street; and
• All parking in the West Parking Plaza, bound by North Church Street, Mill Street, West Main Street and West Second Street.

The proposed ordinance was tabled, however, as members of council decided to look at other options before introduction.

The proposed legislation was on the agenda for Monday night’s meeting because people are parking in front of Main Street businesses overnight, which is causing problems for some businesses that open early, including Starbucks, the Philly Pretzel Factory and the Cubby Hole.

“For some of these places, people just want to get in and get out, and they may not go in if parking is blocked,” Township Manager Scott Carew explained during the meeting.

He said it could also present some problems for plows when the snow begins to fall, and that a handful of cars are at the source of the problem.

Problems included residents that had old cars that weren’t working parked outside businesses, and one business had an entire fleet of vehicles occupying spots.

Councilwoman Stacey Jordan suggested that residents who live above the businesses should be allowed to park in front of businesses overnight.

“They would have to move their cars by 6 a.m.,” Jordan suggested. “You could have police alert residents to move their cars in emergency situations.”

Carew said a long-term parking situation for residents on Main Street and Second Street, possibly using a permit system, was being considered by the township and the police department.

The long-term parking could be set aside in an area of the municipal parking lot, but one resident had an issue with that solution.

“If I come home at midnight, I don’t want to have to park in a dark parking lot,” said Richard Hinchman, who was upset that the residents weren’t being consulted about the ordinance. “ … Is there a serious problem that ordinance would solve vs. what our concerns are? I live on Main Street, I work on Main Street. I understand all the problems, and I also know we shouldn’t be over regulating Main Street.”

He asked why some other areas were included in the legislation, and suggested identifying the areas in which it is actually a problem and dealing with them, as opposed to a blanket solution.

Carew responded by saying the township would be happy to meet with the residents.

Deputy Mayor Victoria Napolitano questioned why there was no two-hour parking stipulation included in the ordinance, something she said she and Carew had discussed during a meeting with the Moorestown Business Association (MBA) on the subject.

Carew didn’t have an answer as to why the two-hour parking wasn’t included.

He then mentioned a pilot study the township was going to conduct before possibly replacing the current parking meters with kiosks on Main Street.

In that pilot study, officers would keep track of how long a car had been in one spot by marking tires with chalk. There was some confusion over whether this ordinance was the first step toward that pilot study.

“We had two people in a meeting with the MBA and they came away with different takeaways,” Councilwoman Lisa Petriello said. “I think we need to revisit the issue with the MBA.”

Jordan added that she didn’t think it was at all feasible to have officers out marking tires.

“Why not just leave the meters out there, and have it say ‘two hours only.’ Businesses can report violators, and have officers come out and issue warnings. I’d rather have our officers out doing more productive things.”

The ordinance was tabled, with Carew reminding council that there are two meetings left in 2016, and an ordinance can’t be introduced and carried over into the following year.

The next meeting is scheduled for Nov. 28, 7 p.m. at town hall.