Government

Seaside Heights, Due to Lose More Parking Spaces Next Season, Researching Garage

by
Daniel Nee
October 3, 2024

A parking garage feasibility study is underway in Seaside Heights. (Photos: Shorebeat/ Naples CRA)

Seaside Heights officials, cognizant of a dwindling number of parking spaces both on the street and off, are actively studying the feasibility of building a parking deck in town. Such a structure could draw on similar garages in other resort communities across the country, incorporating coastal aesthetics and retail to mask the traditional “parking garage” look.

“We recognize that we need parking spaces, so we’re researching availability of what properties we own, what it would cost, and what kind of design we could use,” said Mayor Anthony Vaz.

The borough has already conducted a town-wide parking study to extrapolate the impact of new homes being built across town as well as the loss of private parking lots as their owners sell the increasingly-valuable land on which they exist. But making the matter more timely is an impending loss of some additional on-street parking spaces next summer.

“The previous parking study was through the county, and part of it was centered on Ocean Terrace,” explain Vaz.

The study found that certain parking spaces close to the boardwalk were hazardous to both pedestrians and motorists, and should be removed for safety reasons. By next season, the county is planning to remove some spaces that are too close to stop signs between Ocean Terrace and Boulevard, as well as “back out” spaces on the streets closest to the boardwalk. These spaces are those located on a diagonal, usually beside a boardwalk ramp, and do not allow vehicles enough room to face the correct direction when leaving. Drivers in these spaces are forced to back up all the way onto Ocean Terrace – a mere annoyance during the winter but a dangerous prospect during the busy summer months.

A sign on a one-way street in Seaside Heights, N.J., July 2023. (Photo: Shorebeat)

Ocean County has jurisdiction over Ocean Terrace and numerous side streets leading to it.

“We’ll see some changes there this coming summer,” Vaz said. “We’re going to have to eliminate some of the parking spaces because it’s dangerous, especially off Ocean Terrace where you have to back up. You have to back out and it’s not an easy maneuver.”

While numerous projects that have replaced motels with single-family homes have actually added parking spaces back to the borough due to the elimination of wide motel driveways, on balance, more have been lost due to the closure of private parking lots. The parking garage study is the first step in establishing a long-term parking plan, and is still no guarantee. Even if the stars align in terms of funding, location and planning, it would likely take three years or more to actually see the project through to completion.

As it currently stands, the borough council and its professionals have found that the best location option for a parking garage may be at the town’s existing lot on Grant Avenue. This location is situated close to the beach and boardwalk, is in the middle of the town’s boardwalk and is municipally-owned.

“That is one of the few properties we own that we could really do something with,” said Vaz, explaining that officials would like to see a structure that is aesthetically pleasing and could incorporate businesses, art or a theme as opposed to a boxy “parking deck.”

The municipal parking lot in Seaside Heights on Grant Avenue, which will be part of a forthcoming parking study, May 2023. (Photo: Shorebeat)

A parking garage under construction in Naples, Fla., which incorporates a nautical theme. (Credit: City of Naples CRA)

Vaz pointed to Naples, Fla., which built a parking deck that has a nautical theme and was specifically designed to fit the community. In Delray Beach, Fla., a parking deck in the center of the city’s busy Atlantic Avenue entertainment corridor is lined with restaurants and clothing stores on its exterior, all but hiding the parking itself.

The study will also look into the best way of running a parking enterprise.

“We could form a parking authority, grant a long term lease and let a private company run it, or simply run it ourselves,” said Vaz. “The biggest thing now is to say, ‘how many units do we need, where do we want to put it and what else do we do with the space?’ We want to design this to reflect the sea shore.”

Regardless of what could be planned, the process of doing so will be lengthy.

“The parking garage – by the time we’re done with the study, see how much it will cost and go out to bid – it’s probably going to be at least three years,” said Vaz.