Paid Parking 'Holiday' Extended For Designated Freehold Lots

FREEHOLD, NJ — A partial paid parking holiday will continue to May 6, under a resolution approved by the Borough Council on Monday.

The impact of paid parking on local businesses was the main driver of the holiday when it first went into effect Feb. 12. A pay station system, as used in many towns with parking space at a premium, had been in effect since September of 2023.

The holiday expired April 1, and the action Monday allows time for additional analysis of its impact on stakeholders, primarily downtown businesses. All council members voted for the extension.

But it seems certain changes are bound to be coming to the parking management system.

The resolution also states: "As a result of the analysis, the Borough has determined to codify the changes and amend the ordinance." To allow time for the introduction and adoption of the new ordinance, the temporary changes were extended, the resolution says.

One cafe owner who spoke at the meeting said the paid parking adjustments helped the business - and he hopes for more adjustments. "They made a difference," he said. He also urged informing the public about the extension of the parking holiday.

Here were the changes put in effect in February, now in effect to May 6.

• McGackin Triangle, Borough Hall and Market Yard parking lots will require no payment on Sundays through Tuesdays all day, and no payment on Wednesdays through Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• McGackin Triangle, Borough Hall and Market Yard paid parking remains in effect from 4 p.m. until 11 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays.
• Paid parking will remain in effect on the following streets seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.: Main, South, Court and Mechanic streets.

The current resolution is on the borough website as part of the agenda, but it will be updated to reflect any changes, Mayor Kevin Kane noted.

Here is the original resolution adjusting paid parking times and you can hear the full discussion here. The exceptions only applied to the areas cited and other parking rules remain in force.

When it was first extended, officials said local businesses expressed concern about losing lunchtime business since the paid program went into effect, saying customer volume decreased.

Kane said in February the borough knew the parking management system would be a "learning experience" going in, although it is committed to the program.

"It's a partnership with the downtown businesses - and we'll listen to them and we are not afraid to make the changes we need to make," Kane said in February.

Funds raised by the parking management system 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.