The North Bergen Parking Authority recently cut the ribbons on a new 25-space municipal parking lot, complete with extensive masonry work and elaborate canopies, that will eventually help ease parking problems along Bergenline Avenue for both shoppers and merchants alike.
The new lot, located at 74th Street and Bergenline Avenue, was restored at the cost of $489,000 – all of which came from Urban Enterprise Zone (UEZ) funds.
According to the township’s business administrator, Joseph Auriemma, the parking lot’s aesthetics were added to keep in character with the rest of the improvements already made to Bergenline Avenue – also courtesy of UEZ money.
"There was a lot of rock here, so we added the retaining walls, the railings and the canopies to tune into the streetscape of the neighborhood," Auriemma said. "It absolutely ties into the reconfiguration of Bergenline Avenue."
Both Auriemma and Parking Authority Director Joseph Muniz admitted that the former parking lot was underutilized.
"We were having an average of 10 cars using the lot [per day]," Muniz said. "With parking spaces at a premium in the town, we had to do something to make sure that this lot was being used properly. Now we can rent these spaces to the merchants, and with that, we’re taking the business owners off the street and leave those spots open for shoppers."
The lot offers metered parking with two-hour limits, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week. From 9 p.m. on, the parking is free to North Bergen residents, provided they have a resident parking permit.
However, 80 percent of the new lot’s spaces have already been rented to merchants.
The parking lot’s restoration was done by Let It Grow, a construction firm out of River Edge, which also did the township’s parking lot on Broadway and restored a park and playground on 74th Street and Boulevard East.
Mayor Nicholas Sacco was on hand for the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
"The lot was unattractive and unsafe," Sacco said. "People were afraid to use it. There was no easy access to the lot and it was poorly lit. Now, it’s more aesthetically pleasing and it fits in with the neighborhood. The merchants can see their cars easier. It’s a much safer lot for everyone to use."
Muniz was pleased with the finished product.
"We’ve already received compliments from the community," Muniz said. "The merchants are really satisfied to see the lot restored. It just all helps to make Bergenline Avenue a better place to shop."
Pictured from Left: township employees Karen Geannaros, Elvira Barillas, Ruben Lopez and Laura De Santis, Commissioner Hugo Cabrera, Parking Authority Chairman Joseph Muniz, Township Administrator Joseph Auriemma, Mayor Nicholas Sacco, merchant Alfred Nunez, Commissioner Peter Perez, UEZ Director Juan Jimenez and Joan Foundakos.