Do not increase business parking permits and metered parking to pay for commuter parking deck.

The Issue

Apparently the commuter parking deck that was just built on Lackawana and Essex is not paying for itself. Story in The Item The town council is seeking to increase the business parking by $200 to $430 per car per year to cover the costs (or the placard that can be switched between cars goes from $300 to $500). They are also looking into making the meters more than 50 cents/hour and having shorter meter times.  Neither of these solutions are good for our downtown. 

The repercussions of this increase to businesses and customers is significant. The Town Council is assuming that all the businesses that have been buying placards and stickers for years will continue to do so and not park blocks away for free or feed the meters.  They are assuming that customers won’t notice the increase and keep coming into town.  Many businesses in town are barely making it as it is--with street closures, floods, and power outtages over the last 3 years being commonplace, not to mention the economy--and this increase is just too big of a financial hit. If they increase the price for customers to park, it will send them shopping in Livingston, Maplewood, and other surrounding towns where parking is free.  Businesses will simply go out of business or move out of Millburn and the Downtown will be a veritable ghost town.

Here are some other ways The Town Council could increase revenue without hurting the Downtown:

  • They could LOWER the business stickers and placards so MORE people (like Starbucks) would buy them for their employees (and they wouldn’t lose the businesses that already do). 
  • They could KEEP the meters at 50 cents/hour so people won’t think twice about parking in town.  
  • They could OPEN up commuter train parking to other towns (like Livingston and Springfield who aren't on The Midtown Direct Line) and charge them double what they do Millburn/Short Hills residents.  
  • They could CHANGE the metered hours from 9-6 to 8-8 to pick up some revenue (but still 50 cents/hour). That way day shoppers and the dinner crowd are treated equally.
  • They could make the lots pay as you leave to encourage lingering, shopping and eating in town.

 

There is a township meeting this Tuesday December 17th and we need all taxpayer residents and property owners to tell them that it is not okay to burden the business owners and residents with paying for the commuter parking garage.

avatar of the starter
Beth GellerPetition Starter
Media inquiries
This petition had 33 supporters

The Issue

Apparently the commuter parking deck that was just built on Lackawana and Essex is not paying for itself. Story in The Item The town council is seeking to increase the business parking by $200 to $430 per car per year to cover the costs (or the placard that can be switched between cars goes from $300 to $500). They are also looking into making the meters more than 50 cents/hour and having shorter meter times.  Neither of these solutions are good for our downtown. 

The repercussions of this increase to businesses and customers is significant. The Town Council is assuming that all the businesses that have been buying placards and stickers for years will continue to do so and not park blocks away for free or feed the meters.  They are assuming that customers won’t notice the increase and keep coming into town.  Many businesses in town are barely making it as it is--with street closures, floods, and power outtages over the last 3 years being commonplace, not to mention the economy--and this increase is just too big of a financial hit. If they increase the price for customers to park, it will send them shopping in Livingston, Maplewood, and other surrounding towns where parking is free.  Businesses will simply go out of business or move out of Millburn and the Downtown will be a veritable ghost town.

Here are some other ways The Town Council could increase revenue without hurting the Downtown:

  • They could LOWER the business stickers and placards so MORE people (like Starbucks) would buy them for their employees (and they wouldn’t lose the businesses that already do). 
  • They could KEEP the meters at 50 cents/hour so people won’t think twice about parking in town.  
  • They could OPEN up commuter train parking to other towns (like Livingston and Springfield who aren't on The Midtown Direct Line) and charge them double what they do Millburn/Short Hills residents.  
  • They could CHANGE the metered hours from 9-6 to 8-8 to pick up some revenue (but still 50 cents/hour). That way day shoppers and the dinner crowd are treated equally.
  • They could make the lots pay as you leave to encourage lingering, shopping and eating in town.

 

There is a township meeting this Tuesday December 17th and we need all taxpayer residents and property owners to tell them that it is not okay to burden the business owners and residents with paying for the commuter parking garage.

avatar of the starter
Beth GellerPetition Starter
Media inquiries

The Decision Makers

Ted Bourke
Ted Bourke
Millburn Town Council
Responded
“Beth and signors, Robert and I wanted to reach out and acknowledge your petition - appreciate the interest. First, we want to pass on that, based on the feedback from business owners at a meeting we had a week ago Thursday, we intend to increase business permits $100 instead of $200. Because Millburn has a stand alone parking utility, the finances of the deck are more complex. Essentially, as a stand alone entity, all costs associated with providing parking in Millburn must be offset only with parking revenues - tokens, meters, and permits. Our ability to "shift" funds from other aspects of the township budget to ease this burden is legally not feasible. The addition of the deck supported all parking - increasing the total number of customer, business and computer spots. But we have heard the feedback. We have not increased permit fees in five years (and actually even after the increases, have much lower fees than surrounding towns). And while we had proposed a rate that we hoped would allow us to meet the obligations of the deck and not increase fees again for five years, the amount was too much. We recognize that some will feel that this is also still too high, or that the benefit of the deck is only commuters. At the meeting, several suggestions on improvements for rates and parking in general were brought up - some of which were included in your petition - I hope we can work through these in 2014. One final point of clarification - there is nothing on the docket with respect an increase in meter rates - some discussion on several fronts around meters at the meeting with businesses - but nothing put forth or intended. Thanks Ted and Robert ”
Robert Tillotson
Robert Tillotson
Millburn Town Council
Millburn Town Council
Millburn Town Council

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Petition created on December 14, 2013