Politics & Government
Ocean City To Reverse Year-Round Parking Meters
Ocean City recently announced that parking meters would stay activated in the off-season. But now, they're changing it back.
OCEAN CITY, NJ — A recent decision by City Council to keep downtown parking meters activated during the off-season sparked controversy by some local business owners who worried it would harm them.
But now, City Council is changing course, and are set to undo the ordinance that enacted year-round parking meters at the May 11 meeting.
"The original change was made at the request of downtown merchants, who wanted to create turnover to keep spaces open for shoppers," Mayor Jay Gillian said in his weekly update on May 5. "After a recent meeting that included a larger sampling of owners, the Downtown Merchants Association asked us to change it back."
Find out what's happening in Ocean Cityfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Some merchants had expressed concerns that it would dissuade current off-season shoppers from parking downtown, causing a loss in business.
After the Council approves the ordinance, downtown meters will stay in effect from May 1 through Oct. 31, as usual.
Find out what's happening in Ocean Cityfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
However, the fee increase will stay the same. Read more: Parking Fees Set To Increase In Ocean City
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