Sometime last week I heard a public radio commentary on the high cost of parking in New York City and how some car owners were willing to pay up to $1 million for a parking space.
Cruising the interwebs, I came across several articles on this phenomenon, which isn't even new. The articles at major news outlets go back to 2012 and there was a spate more in 2014. This New York Times article quotes a sales and marketing executive as saying, "We're setting the benchmark."
That cost may never be a benchmark for parking spaces in Plainfield, but it might inspire an entrepreneur or two to look into private parking or garages for affluent apartment dwellers with excess vehicles.
Nowadays parking and car ownership are a big mismatch. Tenants in a one-bedroom apartment may need two cars to get to work.Applicants at land use boards have been asking for less and less parking, citing standards that now consider 0.8 spaces adequate for a one-bedroom unit. But nobody (except me) loves a little Smartfortwo, if my surveys of local street traffic and train station parking lots are any indication.
Talk of a downtown parking garage is still just talk, with no public declaration of plans and financing. The parking garage built by the Union County Improvement Authority is still not available for off-hour use, though that was supposed to be part of a settlement announced in 2013.
If the influx of tenants includes a lot of millenials, there might be more interest in car-shares, or use of short-term rental cars. The proposal for South Avenue Gateway includes a bike-sharing program and maybe even a shuttle to the train station in bad weather.
If you are interested in the pros and cons of different approaches, this 2006 "Parking Matters" study still has a lot of relevant points. It's something to read while we all await the outcome of the PILOT controversy. Without a resolution of that matter, parking issues may not matter, either.
--Bernice
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Parking is an issue... look at the area around Library Park, West 8th and Crescent Avenue.. all horrible examples of over crowded streets due to Landlords being able to charge for onsite parking.. it will not be solved by the current or most likely any city council in Plainfield.. it takes forward thinking and innovation to solve problems like this.. enacting a law that prevents landlords from doing this would help..
ReplyDeleteHi Bernice,
ReplyDeleteParking is indeed an issue in Plainfield. I live near Park and Crescent and with all of the big houses there turned into three and four apartments there is no parking on the streets in our area. We need several parking garages in Plainfield, not just one on 2nd street. I hope our City Council and administration get on this before it becomes a nightmare. I have to pay for parking in my apartment building parking lot and that started with Connolly and still exists with my building and many others. I think that is outrageous, since our parking lot is not well kept. Let's hope that new building will have to provide enough parking for their tenants.
ReplyDeleteI recommend the PMUA take over this problem and add it in its billings. Sounds like a Democratic Party answer to me.