Parking Woes - Part 2

At the Board of Trustees Meeting last night, the attempt to tackle parking issues continued. However, once again, I think that the cart is being put before the horse by trying to ban parking BEFORE additional parking for resident commuters is created. An ordinance was brought on First Reading (and passed by a vote of 4-2) which will limit parking to 2 hours between 8am and noon on both sides of the following streets:

Beech Spring Road From the intersection of North Ridgewood Road to a point 1100 feet west of the intersection.
Conway Court Entire Length
Edgewood Terrace Entire Length
Highland Road From the intersection of North Ridgewood Road to a point 785 feet west of the intersection.
Kingsland Court Entire Length
Kingsland Terrace Entire Length
Montague Place From Prospect Street to Tichenor Avenue
Raymond Avenue From Vose Avenue to Raymond Court
Redmond Road From the intersection of North Ridgewood Road to a point 475 feet west of the intersection.
Stewart Place From Vose Ave to train tracks
Tillou Road (North side) From a point 458 feet west of the intersection of North Ridgewood Road to a point 715 feet west there from.
Tillou Road (South side) From a point 485 feet west of the intersection of North Ridgewood Road to a point 715 feet west there from.
Village Road From Prospect Street to Tichenor Avenue
Walton Avenue From Edgewood Terrace to Ridgewood Road South

In effect, this ordinance will prohibit commuter parking on all residential streets within 3/8 mile of the South Orange Train Station.

I totally understand the desire of residents living on these streets who do not want commuters parked in front of their home all day. On the other hand, there are an enormous number of residents who NEED to get to work via the train and who do not live in walking distance of the station and for whom the jitney schedule is not practical.

As we saw when commuter parking was prohibited on Meadowbrook Lane, this type of broad prohibition simply pushes cars elsewhere to other streets, simply shifting the problem rather than solving it. I think a more comprehensive solution is needed BEFORE we prohibit parking. As Village President Newman discussed last night, there are numerous approaches underway:

1) Identify all streets within walking distance of the train station and allow resident street permit parking where there are no homes. Several months ago, Village President Newman, Trustee Rosner and I made such a walk and identified close to 200 parking spaces that could be made available immediately. We are now awaiting the Village Engineer's review of these streets. Once that occurs, and relevant ordinance are passed, resident commuter parking permits can be sold for these spaces.

2) Review the jitney schedule & route to see if more commuters can be accommodated. The jitney is a great resource. However for people who go into work very early or come home very late, the jitney is often not practical. We need to make sure the jitney is reliable and convenient for it to be more successful.

3) Continue to reach out to private entities to see if additional resident commuter parking can be identified. The Parking Authority has recently secured 25 spaces in the Our Lady of Sorrows parking lot (which is within walking distance of S.O Train Station) and 25 spaces in Temple Sharey Tefilo Israel parking lot (which is within walking distance of Mountain Station)

4) Review the Commuter Parking waiting list. Currently, there are approximately 700 people on the waiting list for South Orange commuter parking permits parking. However, when letters were recently sent to the oldest names on the list offering them permits, only approximately 1/3 responded positively, suggesting that a significant portion of the list is out of date with people who have moved away or no longer desire parking permits.

Finally, as I have stated in an earlier blog, the Parking Authority should review the current rates for commuter parking and consider raising the rates to help fund the jitney and to further reduce demand and the size of the waiting list.

I think if all of these solutions are pursued, we can make a real dent in the size of the commuter parking waiting list. Once we have made a real concerted effort to accomplish the above, then would it first be appropriate to proceed with the prohibition on parking now on the table. Since the steps above will take some time, we should suspend the prohibition on parking on Meadowbrook Lane for the Winter Months when there is limited recreational activity so we can do this right.

In the meantime, if you commute to New York via the train and require parking, if you do not already have a permit, be sure you are on the waiting list for a parking permit! If not, call the Parking Authority at 973-378-7715 x2037.

In the meantime, there will be a Public Hearing on Nov 24 on the proposed ordinance to ban commuter parking on the streets above. Come to Village Hall and let us know YOUR thoughts.

Living in the Future

In August, we awarded a contract to the Cecil Group of Boston to create a Downtown Visioning Plan to determine how our three business districts (South Orange Ave, Valley St, Irvington Ave) should evolve over the next 20 years. The selection process to choose the firm was undertaken by the Development Committee earlier this year and was quite extensive.

I know people have some fundamental questions:

1. How much will this cost?

The contract awarded is not to exceed $225,000

2. What is a Vision Plan?

This plan will focus on

• Land Use and Zoning Guidelines - zoning for specific future uses will be developed based on existing land uses.Key sites and alternative land uses will be identified.
• Design Vision – improvements will be identified for road access and parking,streetscape,and key public spaces such as parks and major buildings.
• Market Study – planners will assess demographics in South Orange and surrounding areas,historic and economic trends,as well as the existing and potential retail market.
• Traffic and Parking Study - current use and conditions will be compared with demand.

3. Didn't we just do a Vision Plan?

The last Vision Plan was done by the Atlantic Group back in 1994, prior to the arrival of Midtown Direct, which dramtically changed many facets of our town.

4. How do I provide input to the plan?

There will be 4 public meetings and workshops to provide residents, business and property owners, and other stakeholders a unique opportunity to get involved in planning from the ground up. The schedule so far is as follows:

Thursday, October 30th, 7:30 – 9:00 pm in the South Orange Middle School
Tuesday, December 2nd, 7:30 – 9:00 pm in the SOPAC Loft

For this process to be most successful, it is imperative that you come out to share your ideas and provide your input. Remember: IT TAKES OUR VILLAGE: Creating a community vision for South Orange

Cycling Stephanie!

There are certain memorable milestones as a parent that put you in such awe of your child as they develop. Today was one of those days as my 6 year old daughter, Stephanie, finally learned to ride a 2-wheeler on her own today. We had taken the training wheels off earlier this year and have been trying for a while to get her to learn to ride on her own, without much luck. Today, we went down to the new River Bikeway in South Orange and something finally clicked and she "got it"! By the end, she even managed to ride back and forth the length of the walkway without stopping or falling. I almost get the sense that I was more excited about this milestone than she was, but I am just so proud of her and so looking forward to being able to take family bike rides together. Now, hopefully the weather will stay nice for a while longer, before Winter sets in!