News
RiverCenter Plans To Explore Parking Solutions Independently
By John Burton
RED BANK - Members of the RiverCenter Special Improvement District have established a committee to look at ways of improving the parking situation in town.
The committee will operate independently of the local government in exploring possible options for alleviating parking problems in downtown Red Bank, said Tom Fishkin, chairman for RiverCenter's board of directors.
"Parking is always being discussed," among RiverCenter members, RiverCenter's Executive Director Nancy Adams, said Monday. The subject has long been a hot-button issue for businesses and elected officials.
RiverCenter has long advocated a parking garage, a proposal that was considered and then rejected by the borough council in the face of political opposition about nine years ago.
Since then there has been a prevailing sense of frustration on the part of downtown business owners who say that borough officials haven't been aggressive enough in seeking a remedy. Tom Fishkin, who chairs RiverCenter's board of directors sees the formation of the committee, as, "a realistic approach" showing the organization is, "not going to sit on its hands and wait."
The committee will include Fishkin, Adams, and a handful of other board members, and will look at how other communities with active downtown commercial districts to see how they address parking issues.
The committee also plans to look at permit parking and possibly moving it out of the White Street municipal lot, leaving that lot for shoppers and visitors; and looking at the total inventory and options for long-term parking, Fishkin said. "We're trying to improve the situation," he said.
Adams plans to meet with a former Princeton mayor to look at the innovative ways that community has sought some solutions.
Princeton had begun using short-term meters in some locations for quick stops, such as in front of banks, and meters with different price points for different locations "Those are the type of creative alternative solutions we might be able to recommend here," Adams said.
While the committee would operate independently of elected officials, ultimately any suggestions would have to be approved by the borough council. But Adams offered, "Before we go to the borough with any ideas we want to flesh them out and get the research done.
"There's no point in going in and complaining without solutions," she continued.
