Parking Fees Set To Increase In Ocean City

OCEAN CITY, NJ — Parking fees are set to increase after City Council unanimously approved a new ordinance at a recent meeting.

The decision is part of the 2023 budget. Officials said that this revenue will help offset other costs and keep the tax rate lower. Read more: Parking Fees Up In 2023 Ocean City Proposed Budget

Under the new ordinance, Ocean City can charge up to $25 a day at parking lots during peak times during summer. The limit before was $20.

Parking meters are also increasing in cost, going up from $1.50 per hour to $2 per hour in the Boardwalk and beach areas.

Downtown meters are increasing from 25 cents per hour to 50 cents per hour. The meters on Asbury Avenue between Sixth Street and 14th Street will now also operate year-round, instead of seasonally.

Those meters will operate from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. during May through October and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. the rest of the year.

In March, Danielle Guerriero, president of the Downtown Merchants Association was in full support of the meter changes.

But at the latest meeting, she asked Council to hold off on the vote until after the Association's upcoming election.

Other business owners expressed concerns about the fees, fearing that it would harm them and dissuade current year-round shoppers.

City Council said that the year-round meters could be reconsidered if that's what business owners wanted.

Mayor Jay Gillian added that the city is considering building a parking garage to add more spaces.