Paramus' Overnight Parking Concerns Continue to Loom

Paramus officials are still mulling over the idea of allowing those in town who can prove a hardship need for on-street parking during the overnight hours to do so by way of a permit system.

Discussions continued Tuesday night amongst the mayor and council who agreed to consult the borough's police officials before taking any next steps.

The governing body has been looking to create a relief for those residents who have expressed a great need for overnight parking due to having outgrown their driveways. Many are just unable to expand their driveways due to space issues and nowadays more young adult drivers tend to live at home longer, Mayor Richard LaBarbiera has said. 

The proposed permit idea has been met with a great deal of opposition from the general public who fear what overnight parking could do to their quality of life.

Based on the feedback they have received many in town seem to believe this would do away with the current overnight parking restrictions which is not the case at all, said the mayor.

"A lot of people are extremely upset that we are contemplating any change in overnight parking. A large part of problem is they don’t understand it," said the mayor.

Councilman Pat Verile said some are under the assumption it would turn the borough into a city.

Officials again stressed that the permission would only be granted to those who can prove a hardship. The formula for determining who could be eligible for the permission is: number of licensed drivers exceeding the number of available space on the property.

For example a home with 6 available spaces, including garage space, with 4 licensed drivers would not be eligible. For those that would be eligible the permit would be granted only to a specific vehicle.

Only those who meet this criteria would be eligible, which the mayor says would equal about 5 percent, if not less, of the community. It would not do away with the current parking rules which prohibit parking from 2 and 5 a.m. they said.

"We're not looking to do this for a matter of convenience but to address those with a hardship," said LaBarbiera.

Councilwoman Maria Bellinger stated they need to ensure that the borough will have the manpower to inspect the homes and make sure the hardship exists.

Officials said Tuesday they will set up a meeting with police officials to discuss the matter further and also to determine if there are specific areas in town where this parking need is greatest.

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