Expect some parking spaces to be lost downtown when two-way traffic returns to Main and Irving streets. The city will determine how the spaces will be reconfigured. Some will be eliminated because they are too close to intersections or just are not safe for traffic reasons. “It will create some concern,” City Administrator/Redevelopment Director Peter Pelissier said of the forthcoming reconfiguration. The city also is examining the best locations for loading/unloading areas, bus stops and 15-minute parking.
Pelissier also said there’s resistance to using the three-year-old parking deck, as it seems some people would rather drive around the block several times to find street parking. The Rahway Parking Authority is considering designating the first level of the parking garage for retail spaces so shoppers don’t have to go to the upper levels, he added. The Rahway Center Partnership also is working with merchants to devise an incentive in parking fees, such as a restaurant giving $1 off a customer’s bill so they only end up paying 25 cents for parking.
“I find it’s pretty full during the day,” Redevelopment Agency Commissioner Carlos Garay said during Wednesday night’s meeting, adding that he uses it “pretty often.” After 6:30 or 7 p.m, the deck is “quite empty from a restaurant standpoint,” Pelissier said.
There are about 150 spots currently used by construction workers and there will be 209 spaces set aside for the new condos at the adjacent hotel once it opens in the spring. The $11-million, 524-space parking deck opened in December 2004.
“There will be some problems when Lot B (behind The Waiting Room) is developed,” Pelissier said. “Those cars have to go somewhere.” Plans for The Westbury include a 324-space parking deck at the current site of Lot B, as well as 200-plus condos along Main Street.
Pelissier said parking rates also will have to examined in an effort to keep the Rahway Parking Authority solvent. Currently, 12-hour parking permits cost $65 per month. “We’ll see if we have to increase parking rates.”
Raising parking deck fees as soon as the condo finishes is the city’s way of sticking it to condo owners. They even agreed people would rather park in the street than pay for the deck so the only incentive would be screw the condo residents. If anything they should be offering discounts to the condo residents!
The condo residents have to pay extra for their parking spot? It doesn’t just come with the condo?How long before another parking deck will become available for daily commuters? Again, if you are thinking of moving to the suburban part of Rahway or Colonia or Clark and using the Rahway train station, now you have to think twice. Am I missing something?
This could prove to be a windfall for those small shops which you gotta wonder how they remain in business in the first place (Niece’s Pieces anyone??). With this looming parking shortage, their actual businesses can be a “front” for the more lucrative business of providing monthly parking spaces.
Yes, parking spots are set aside for condo residents however they are a separate cost. For comparison, River Place residents can pay $75 a month for a heated enclosed parking garage located underneath the building with direct access to lobby. Making condo residents pay anything over $65 for a freezing open air mixed public use garage that’s not even attached to the condo is a crime against the very people who are investing their money into the rebuilding of downtown Rahway.
For every condo sold at Skyview, $10,000 of the sale proceeds are paid to the town of Rahway. That equates to over a $2 million windfall to the town. Why don’t they use that to help pay for the parking deck?If anything, they should focus on luring people to downtown for its dining and entertainment first by keep the parking garage cheap. Let people get accustomed to spending their nights and weekends in Rahway so businesses can prosper. Use part of the sales tax to subsidize the deck. Once the deck starts getting packed on weekends then you can start increasing rates. However, increasing rates while the deck is still empty is an awful idea for local businesses and a direct attack on condo residents.
Agreed – the best way to attract folks to the downtown is to offer free or discounted parking. In New Brunswick, most restaurants validate parking stubs for 1 hour of free parking. And during weekend days, many parking decks are free to encourage shopping, etc.
River Place residents (who are frowned-upon renters, not owners mind you) also have the option of a FREE outdoor spot. Do the condo OWNERS have an option for a free outdoor spot? Its either pay for parking or don’t have a car? I need to go talk to the Silcon sales staff and inquire if any of those penthouse apartments are still available. I would love to hear the sales pitch for spending that kind of money on a condo that doesn’t come with parking. It’s Rahway folks, it ain’t Manhattan.I agree that the parking has to be as close to free as possible at night to encourage people to come to Rahway as a retail and dining destination and not just a place to park your car before hopping a train to the city.
Very well said, Realist.I wonder if the renters trashing – I mean, occupying – the unsold and not-yet-flipped townhouses at Riverwalk will get free parking spots…Free or dirt cheap parking will work as long as there is something worth coming to town for. I’m not going shopping in New Brunswick just because the parking is free. Unless you enjoy dollar stores, there’s nothing worth a trip besides restaurants and bars. I hope Rahway can bring in a decent mix of mid-level retail and nightlife. The New Brunswick approach of mixing expensive wine bars and dollar stores leaves much to be desired. Time will tell if Rahway learns this lesson.
realist, the city offers a free shuttle service to and from the train station for residents, as is done in dozens of towns across NJ. I think you have to call the recreation center to sign up.