Parking throughout much of downtown would be free after 7 p.m. as part of a comprehensive downtown parking plan unveiled last week.

During a special meeting of City Council on Aug. 21, the administration explained aspects of the parking plan, borne from a parking study authorized by the former Parking Authority, now Parking Utility. During an almost hour-long presentation, City Administrator Robert Landolfi explained the process to this point and Matthew Pukavich, administrative aide to Mayor Raymond Giacobbe, Jr., provided details.

The new plan would go live on Sept. 16 Sept. 23, with a two-week enforcement period which Landolfi described would be “low key.”

City Council introduced five separate ordinances related to parking regulations during its Aug. 12 meeting that will be up for a public hearing and final adoption at its Sept. 9 regular meeting:

• O-21-19: Restricting permit parking in three municipal lots (Milton Avenue, Broad Street and Fulton Street) from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• O-22-19: No parking in loading zones between 5 a.m. and 7 p.m.
• O-23-19: Prohibiting parking between 5 and 7 a.m., Monday through Friday, along both sides of 16 downtown streets.
• O-24-19: Establishing permit parking between 5 a.m. and 7 p.m., Monday through Saturday, along both sides of seven downtown streets.
• O-25-19: Designating parking spaces and rates between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., Monday through Friday, at a maximum of four hours, on both sides of nine downtown streets and the River Place municipal lot. Rates would be $0.50 for 30 minutes, $0.75 for 45 minutes and $1 per hour.
• O-26-19: Adding both sides of Central Avenue, from Irving to Campbell streets, and Hamilton Street, from Central Avenue to Gordon Place, excluding resident permits, while eliminating both sides of Poplar Street from Irving Street to Bridge Street.
• O-27-19: Prohibiting parking from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. on certain streets downtown on alternating days. This ordinance is to be introduced at the Sept. 9 regular meeting, with a public hearing and final approval likely at the Oct. 7 meeting.

Several months ago, the administration asked for authorization of bond ordinances and contracts for new parking meters. “All those actions are part of a comprehensive plan we’re trying to implement,” Landofli explained before last week’s presentation. “We started with a mission statement from the mayor,” he said, namely that any parking plan was to accommodate businesses, Rahway residents, and commuters — in that order.

“What we’re trying to do is maximize utilization of off- and on-street parking for the  business community,” Landolfi said. Every off- and on-street parking location was evaluated, along with the times and usage and where new off- and on-street parking could be created.

There are about 164 spaces in the three municipal lots affected and about 150 on-street metered parking spaces, for a total 314 spaces.

There will be 29 downtown pay stations that will replace parking meters, with pay parking in effect from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. for on-street spaces, at a cost of $1 per hour with a maximum of four hours. Users only need to input their license plate and pay by cell (via the FlowBird app), not by location or zone as is the case in some towns, which can be confusing, Pukavich said. The four-hour limit recommendation came from consultants “with the hour and cost structure we should look at,” Landolfi said.

The goal was to ensure that street parking is turning over, which is the most important for businesses, Giacobbe said, adding that on-street parking should not be used by commuters. Anything allowing more than four hours for on-street parking might be taken advantage of by people using the train station to New York City. The advantage of the pay stations is that people don’t have to remember a space number and they can pay at any pay station, not just the one closest to where they parked, he said, as well as via the app.

The plan would open up streets for use in the evening, with no charge for on-street parking from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. during the week. Street sweeping would be done by the Department of Public Works (DPW) four days a week between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m. On-street parking would only be free on Sundays.

Three of the four municipal parking lots downtown would continued to be reserved for permit holders between 5 a.m. and 7 p.m. After 7 p.m., the three municipal lots, totaling some 164 spaces, would be free for use by the public. The only lot that will not be included in that plan is the one behind River Place on Lewis Street, with Pukavich describing it as a “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it” situation.

“Everything was done with the goal of being user friendly and easy to use,” Pukavich said.

Residents should at least get the right of first refusal as there are many people using the city’s resources who are not residents, the mayor said. “We haven’t had to kick out out-of-towners; as of now, no one loses permits.”

Four loading zones downtown also will accommodate an additional eight parking spaces after 7 p.m. when no loading is taking place. There are two on each side of Lewis Street next to Cubanu and Nancy’s Towne House, one on Main Street near Hugo’s restaurant, and another on Coach Street near Hell Hound Studios. One ordinance prohibits parking there from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Loading has been an issue on East Cherry Street and once the 208-unit Main & Monroe development is completed, the city would revisit a potential loading zone on the new Monroe Street extension and look to add additional spaces, Pukavich said.

A new entry system will be implemented for the parking deck on Lewis Street, with residential garage permits issued to Rahway residents first, eliminating any waiting list, according to Landolfi. There also also some longer-term goals in the future, including creation of an additional parking lot at the corner of Augusta Street and East Milton Avenue, in partnership with Special Improvement District (SID) and local property owner, eliminating the bump-outs on East Cherry Street. The bumpouts were implemented many years ago as a traffic-calming measure but they will be converted into parking spaces, Landolfi said, with a plan to evaluate the use in the future.

When the Monroe Street redesign and extension is completed, in conjunction with the Main & Monroe development, if warranted, Landolfi said turning lanes would be changed to create additional parking along Main Street. That would require Department of Transportation (DOT) approval and capital funding. Also part of the longer-term strategy that will go in more detail later, will be the possibility of building a second parking deck, Giacobbe said.