Three ordinances that were introduced at the January 21st Mayor & Council meeting have to do with parking. Two of them, ordinances 2449 and 2450, add prohibited parking on sections of Jerome Street and Valley Road while 2451 addresses preferential parking on Hazel Street.
Ordinance 2449
Ordinance 2449 prohibits parking on the east side of Valley Road from 9 a.m. till noon on Thursdays and on the west side on Tuesdays from 9 a.m. till noon between Westfield Avenue and West Webster Avenue. This is the first time that Valley Road will have prohibited parking on it with the exception of the temporary parking prohibition for snow plowing (Chapter VII, Section 7-10) from Westfield Avenue to Amsterdam Avenue. There is an existing parking prohibition on the books for the east side of Valley Road Monday through Saturday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the area of the Roselle Park Community Garden.
Ordinance 2450
Ordinance 2450 prohibits parking on Jerome Street, which is one street over from Valley Road. The prohibition on parking is also from Westfield Avenue to West Webster Avenue with no parking allowed on the east side of Jerome from 9 a.m. till noon on Thursdays. To complement that restriction, the ordinance provides that the west side of Jerome will now allow parking on Thursdays from 9 a.m. till noon. Previously, Section 7-14 (Parking Prohibited At All Times On Certain Streets), prohibited parking at all times for the entire length of the west side of Jerome Street. Whether this section for Jerome Street needs to be repealed is not certain.
This ordinance has some confusing language because the very same borough code (Chapter VII, Section 7-15) already prohibits parking on the entire length of the east side of Jerome Street Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. till 11 a.m.
Ordinance 2450 would simply add one (1) hour to the prohibition on Thursdays. Additionally, a strange footnote to Ordinance 2450 states the following, referring to both sides of West Webster Avenue from Valley Road to Maplewood Avenue with no reference to Jerome Street:
Beginning at a point of intersection of the easterly curbline of Valley Road and West Webster Avenue thence easterly along the northerly sideline of West Webster Avenue thence southerly along the westerly curbline of Maplewood Avenue thence westerly along the southerly sideline of West Webster Avenue to its intersection with the easterly curbline of Valley Road to the point of beginning.
The change in parking appears to be in response to issues with parking overflow from Sunrise Village and other smaller apartment houses in the area and some cars not moving for long periods of time. Since cars will now be parking on their side of the street for the first time, some residents find issue with Ordinance 2450 claiming that people will, basically, be walking on their lawns. The west side of Jerome Street has curbing but does not have sidewalks.
Ordinance 2451
Ordinance 2451 adds preferential parking for the entire length of the east side of Hazel Street from 2 a.m. till 6 a.m. Chapter VII, Section 7-17.2. That section already allows for preferential parking along the east side of Hazel Street from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday between West Colfax Avenue and West Roselle Avenue. The ordinance will only allow vehicles with permits issued by the municipality to park overnight.
All three ordinances will have their public hearing and vote during the February 4th Mayor & Council meeting at 7 p.m.