Paid Parking Coming To Market Yard, Other Spots In Freehold

FREEHOLD, NJ — It's been several years in the making, and now the time has come for Freehold Borough to launch metered parking for certain prime downtown spots.

Mayor Kevin Kane addressed the implementation of the Parking Management System in remarks before the Borough Council on Monday.

He said the concept has been discussed for years.

"Now we are taking action," he said at the meeting.

The week of Sept. 5 is the launch, with no violations but warnings given out for a week to those unfamiliar with the system, he said.

"I know it's not a popular decision," he said, noting there is a local election coming up. (Kane is seeking re-election as mayor.) But he said "It's never the wrong time to do the right thing."

And in the long term, "It's a fiscally responsible financial decision and the right thing to do for our borough and our businesses," he said.

You can hear his full remarks on a recording of the council meeting here.

Business Administrator Stephen J. Gallo said the Borough Council, along with the business community, has been working on some form of parking management for approximately eight years. The council agreed to the current system at a council meeting in October 2022, he said in response to questions last week.

And the public can see a demonstration of the new system on this Thursday, Aug. 24, and on Thursday, Aug. 31. The demonstrations will take place at 6 p.m. in the Borough Hall parking lot at 30 Mechanic Street.

The Market Yard, the McGackin Triangle and the Borough Hall Lot will be paid parking, as well as on-street parking on South, Main and Court Streets, Gallo said.

Meters will run from 11 a.m. to 3 a.m., seven days a week in certain lots and streets, he said. The cost is $1 per hour until 5 p.m. and $2 per hour thereafter.

He said people can pay for as little as three minutes, if that’s what they need.

He said the commuter lot, the Broad Street lot and the Court Street lot will remain free.

The borough has put out a brochure for residents and visitors to explain more about the new parking plan and the reasoning behind it. There is also a fact sheet available on the borough's Facebook site.

Kane said there will be robocalls to residents too, to familiarize everyone with the changes.

The success of the downtown's restaurants and shops all play into the need for "making the best of our parking resources," the borough says.

One of the key goals of the parking management plan is to ensure a turnover of available spaces.

The borough wants to "to incentivize parking space turnover in certain areas that will make convenient parking available to as many customers as possible."

The program offers a range of parking options and includes many free parking spaces located downtown for those residents, employees and visitors who are willing to walk a little further.

The meters can be paid through coin deposit, credit card and a remote parking app.

And underlying the plan is the goal of mitigating the budget costs of maintaining the lots to ultimately help taxpayers.

The funds collected will be "dedicated to repaving parking lots, continuing maintenance, line striping, way-finding signage, landscaping, litter control, snow removal, public safety and land acquisition for new parking opportunities so these costs do not have to be born by Freehold Borough residential and commercial property taxes," the borough says.

Permit parking rules remain the same for the rest of 2023, but a new permit process will be introduced in January 2024, according to the borough.

The borough contracted with the Flowbird Group, Moorestown, for development of the system. The borough referred those interested to visit https://www.flowbird.group/ or to call the borough at 732-462-4200.