The Borough of Deal is at it again. On June 29, 2016, the Borough introduced Ordinance #1134 to restrict parking by issuing permits to beachfront residents along one side of nine main streets. The time restraints last from 8 AM to 8 PM, Thursday to Sunday and holidays - Memorial Day to Labor Day. This essentially eliminates 50% of the parking near Deal's main beach access points during the summer. 

Read Ordinance #1134 here: http://www.dealborough.com/ordinances.html

The permit parking legislation is yet another attempt to restrict access to the Borough’s public beaches. In October 2015, the public fought against a similar attempt to restrict beachfront parking. That Ordinance was tabled - only to reappear as this "compromise" from the Borough.

The Borough has maintained that the Ordinance was never meant to restrict beach access, but rather, to address frustrations of the beachfront residents who have complained about being able to park at their homes. Yet, we have neither heard, nor will we hear, any testimony from a beachfront resident who has had difficulty parking at their residence.

It is apparent that only sixty-one (61) out of nearly one thousand (1,000) homes in the Borough will benefit from this Ordinance by being issued parking permits. Those homes have an estimated six hundred and five (605) driveway parking spaces among them. The homes benefiting from this Ordinance already have an average of ten (10) spaces to park in their driveways. Why do they need to park on the street?

It is clear that the Borough has been hard at work crafting and concocting regulations to address a “parking problem” that is non-existent. This Ordinance is not about parking. It is an attempt to keep surfers, fisherman and the local public away from the multi-million dollar mansions which happen to be next to a beach that the public paid for. 

Importantly, Deal is among the last Monmouth County community to undergo beach replenishment post Hurricane Sandy. The Army Corps of Engineers supervised the $40 million project that pumped 1.4 million cubic yards of sand between Elberon and Loch Arbor. Access and parking is a requirement of participation in the replenishment program.

We are asking the Mayor to table this Ordinance because it violates the New Jersey Public Trust Doctrine and limits the public's access to the beach. Access in the area is notoriously bad, and this Ordinance will only make the problem worse.

We also encourage the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) and the Army Corps. of Engineers (ACOE) to investigate violations of the ACOE’s Regulation No. 1165-2-130 and Appendix K in the event that this Ordinance is passed.

The Borough will vote on this Ordinance on Wednesday (7/27) at 9:00 AM at Borough Hall. There will be a public comment period and we urge all to attend. #warontheshore

Join the Facebook group COBRA: Citizens in Opposition to Beach Restrictive Access - https://www.facebook.com/groups/CitizensAgainst1124/

See the original 2015 petition here: https://www.change.org/p/deal-mayor-morris-ades-citizens-in-opposition-to-deal-ordinance-1124

News articles:

http://www.nj.com/monmouth/index.ssf/2016/06/shore_town_introduces_parking_restriction_ordinanc.html

http://www.app.com/story/news/local/communitychange/2016/07/01/deal-parking/86615416/

http://asburyparksun.com/permit-parking-only-rules-to-be-introduced-weds/

http://jshn.org/deal-propose-restricting-public-parking-beach-streets/