The Haddonfield Board of Commissioners approved updates to the borough’s parking ordinance on second reading at its last meeting of 2022.
The ordinance outlines a number of specifications, including a parking time limit of three hours on Allen Avenue from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily and a one-hour limit on Chestnut Street from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. The measure clarifies municipal parking lots and rules for the permit parking program, which costs $127.50 per quarter, or $510 annually, excluding the exceptions listed.
Resident Anne Hearing did not agree with the metered parking changes.
“By the old former section, the most you would pay is 25 cents an hour, so we’ve raised it 25 cents,” Hearing said. “ … I think that from 25 to 50 cents is pretty outrageous.”
Before updates to the ordinance, rates depended on the amount of time needed. The price has changed to a flat 50 cents per hour, even if the time needed is shorter than an hour, like 15 or 30 minutes.
Commissioner Kevin Roche explained the increases were needed to keep up with other towns and keep pricing competitive.
“Other costs have gone up, so we have to offset some of the costs that we have and some of the revenue that we have to produce,” he explained.
Borough Administrator Sharon McCullough reviewed other changes in the updated ordinance, including a new numbering system for the parking lots according to the kiosk and managing system, added fees for the seven spaces in front of Tarditi Commons and the addition of meters at a parking lot near Sylvan Lake Avenue.
“There’s going to be a fee for that in the coming year once we get it striped,” McCullough noted.
In the past, a fee would depend on when you purchased it throughout the year; it is now a flat annual fee and is good for 12 months. Metered parking hours remain from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and the fee for permits has remained the same.
The ordinance on outdoor eating and seating was tabled until later this month; it will be reintroduced on first reading.
“The reason it’s being tabled tonight and carried over to next year (2023) is because as we were revising the ordinance, going through it again in preparation for publication, there were additional revisions that needed to be made,” said Salvatore Siciliano, the borough’s solicitor.
“Rather than trying to hastily make those revisions and have an incomplete copy available to the public, that’s the reason it’s going to be tabled … It’s not yet ready to be viewed,” he added.
During the second public comment, resident Andrea Hotaling responded to Janet Goehner-Jacobs’ comments from the previous meeting on a potential nonbinding resolution opposing a liquified natural gas development plan. She recommended supporting a pipeline rather than outright rejecting the transport of natural gas.
“In my view, this would be a very shortsighted measure to take, because the focus should not be on the negative, saying no to something, but the positive, seeing what needs there are and how to meet these needs,” Hotaling said.
In other news:
- Deborah Troiani and Ann Koelling were appointed to the Shade Tree Commission.
- Matthew Pirolli and Adam Barsky were appointed to the planning board.
- Lindsey Watson-McCarthy, Kas Ghodoussipour, Lou Randazzo, Matt Mazza and Christopher Tenny were appointed to various roles
- Alex Davidson was appointed CFO and qualified purchasing agent
- Stephen Addeno, Patrick Boegly, Stephen Camiscioli and Carl Jubb were named active members of the fire department.
The next commissioners’ meeting will be on Jan. 23 at 7:30 p.m.
