Princeton Council Discusses ‘Payment In Lieu Of Parking’ Program

PRINCETON, NJ — To address parking issues in the municipality, council on Monday discussed the possibility of creating a “payment in lieu of parking” program.

Under the program, developers will have an option to contribute to a municipal fund in instances they cannot park on-site.

Introducing the work session, Councilwoman Michelle Piron Lambros said the idea of a “parking bank” was being explored for a while. “As we are increasing density and exploring smart growth, there has not always been the opportunity to build with parking,” Piron Lambros said.

“I wanted to explore this idea of a ‘payment in lieu’ because we are really missing an opportunity where the developer could be paying into the infrastructure that we need.”

Senior Planner Justin Lesko said the idea was to distribute the parking demand by creating "efficiencies like shared parking that each individual property can’t do by themselves, or maximizing land use with a garage.”

The program would also allow properties currently restrained by parking minimums to redevelop without having to ask for a variance, said Lesko.

Staff studied various New Jersey towns and municipalities across the country that have implemented the program.

Mayor and council said they were in favor of the program, but were not too eager to dive into it right away. “I really hope the staff will think about the intersection of permit parking, this parking bank and impacts of these changes,” said Councilman David Cohen.

“I would also hate to see this jumped ahead of permit parking. I would hate for staff resources diverted to this.”

Mayor Mark Freda said he liked the idea and asked staff to work on it further.

Thank you for reading. Have a correction or news tip? Email sarah.salvadore@patch.com

Get breaking news alerts on your phone with our app. Download here. Sign up to get Patch emails so you don't miss out on local and statewide news