It is almost impossible to discuss anything in Union City without first talking about parking. Now, with the city’s Parking Authority meetings being held at night, more residents and merchants will be able to voice their concerns.
Beginning on July 17, the Parking Authority meetings will begin at 6:30 p.m. The meetings will take place on the third Wednesday of every month at the UCPA offices located at 2701 New York Ave.
Prior to July 17, the Parking Authority met at 9:30 a.m.
“This request [to change the time of the Parking Authority meetings] was in keeping with our policy of making the meetings more accessible to the general public,” said Union City Mayor Brian Stack, who requested that the Authority hold its meetings at night. “Holding night meetings to accommodate our residents makes more sense.”
Stack said that parking issues are being brought up more and more frequently in Union City.
“With the coming expansion of our resident parking program and anticipated development, parking issues are sure to surface on a more frequent basis,” he said.
Although the Parking Authority meetings have not drawn a huge crowd in the past, Stack said that the change in time might encourage more people to attend the meetings.
“I think that once people know about the meetings, they will start attending,” said Union City Mayor Brian Stack, using the commission meetings as an example. “Some people don’t even know we have a Parking Authority.”
Stack said that before the Board of Commissioners began moving their meetings around town, not many people knew about those meetings.
Two new members
Although Jose Ortega has his own driveway, after living in Union City for more than 40 years, he sees the concern that residents have about parking in the city.
Ortega is one of the two new members appointed to the Parking Authority at the July 15 meeting of the city’s Board of Commissioners.
Maryury Bombino and Ortega will be serving five-year terms, both beginning on July 16, 2002 and ending on July 15, 2007.
“These are members of the community that understand that the Parking Authority is not just to hand out tickets,” said Stack. “But also to make Bergenline Avenue, Summit Avenue and other shopping areas more attractive to visitors.”
Ortega owns several properties in Union City.
“Ortega was one of the first people to build a four-family house in Union City,” said Stack about Ortega whose family resides in the house. “He built this home when nobody else was building homes in Union City. He made an investment into the community.”
Bambino, a nurse, is also a member of the Rent Leveling Board in Union City.
Expands resident parking
The Board of Commissioners also approved an ordinance on first reading to expand the residential parking program during its July 15 meeting. Residents must have a permit to park in this area.
The new streets included in the program will be Park Avenue from 35th to 48th streets on the west side of the street, Broadway from 45th to 47th streets, Brown Street from 45th Street to 47th Street, Hudson Street from 43rd Street to 48th Street, Palisade Avenue from 43rd Street to 48th Street, 43rd Street from Park Avenue to Palisade Avenue, 44th Street from Park Avenue to Palisade Avenue, 45th Street from Park Avenue to Palisade Avenue, Roosevelt Street from Hudson Street to Palisade Avenue, 46th Street from Hudson Street to Palisade Avenue, and 47th Street from Park Avenue to Palisade Avenue.
This ordinance will be up for public hearing and final adoption at the next Board of Commissioners meeting to be held on Aug. 5.