By NANETTE LoBIONDO GALLOWAY
VENTNOR Additional residents of the North Beach area of the city will get to exceed parking time limits after the city passed an ordinance Thursday, May 28 expanding the parking permit area by three blocks.
The ordinance revises a previous ordinance that allows residents to obtain parking permits on certain streets in the northern part of the city, exempting them from parking time limits.
The ordinance was passed with little fanfare, according to one city commissioner, but will benefit additional residents in the North Beach area closest to Atlantic City.
This is our most densely populated area, Commissioner of Public Affairs and Public Safety Tim Kriebel said. We will see how this works during the summer.
The ordinance was changed in anticipation of the opening of the Ventnor Square Theater and restaurant later this summer. Residents said they welcome the theater back to Ventnor but are concerned theatergoers will take up parking spaces for several hours during matinees and evening shows, leaving them with nowhere to park.
The ordinance changes the parking restrictions to four-hour increments, up from two hours previously, and adds three blocks to the restricted area. The previous area was Jackson to Frankfort Avenue, from Winchester Avenue to the boardwalk. The area was expanded to include Weymouth, Little Rock and Victoria avenues from the north side of Winchester Avenue to the boardwalk.
According to language in the ordinance, No person shall be permitted to park any vehicle&for a period exceeding four hours, unless such person has a valid parking sticker.
The city held a public forum about the parking permits during a work session in February. It was the second time the city met with North Beach residents about the issue. The city first discussed the parking permit policy at a North Beach Residents Association meeting held Oct. 12, 2019. No one spoke on the ordinance revision during a public hearing held before it was adopted.
The city issued 6,630 parking permits last year for an estimated 650 parking spaces. Except for commercial districts, North Beach is the only residential neighborhood that has a parking time limit.
The price for the stickers doubled to $2 in October last year. Residents can purchase a sticker at the Police Department for every vehicle in the household, plus two guest stickers. Having a sticker does not guarantee a parking space, however.
The city had considered limiting the number of permits available in the zone and limiting the number of passes available to residents of high-rise buildings.
The parking restrictions were put in place with the advent of casino gaming more than 40 years ago, when casino employees were parking in the North Beach neighborhood and taking the jitney at Jackson Avenue to their jobs in the city.
In another parking related issue, the city will replace 100 of the 300 parking meters it has in high-use areas with smart meters, and a new kiosk will be installed in the Newport Avenue parking area.
We will enforce meters as soon as they are up and running, Police Chief Douglas Biagi said.
He said the department wouldn't start enforcing the 4-hour parking limits until the second week of June to give residents time to obtain their permits.
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