Affordable Housing Bears Brunt of Overnight Parking Ban
A current hot-button topic, it seems parking in Pitman is an age old issue. Parking lots, meters, and overnight parking bans all have been in rounds of discussion for the last 80+ years. In 1936, the demand for parking for visiting shoppers generated enough pressure for the Borough to purchase land for an off Broadway parking lot. 128 Parking meters would eventually be added along Broadway in 1949, from Holly down to Pitman Ave.
Courier-Post Camden, NJ 1 Dec 1936
Pitman was never designed for the automobile. Founded in 1872 as a Methodist campground, Pitman Grove went from tents to over 400 summer cottages by the 1880s. In 1895, approximately 100 families remained year round, with wooded pathways replaced by gravel walks. By Pitman’s Incorporation in 1905, Alcyon Park had been in operation for 13 years and was a great draw for entertainment. A majority of visitors came by way of train from Philadelphia, Camden, and surrounding towns.
Car ownership quickly grew from 1910 up until the Great Depression, where it plateaued, until again rising dramatically after WWII. In 1936, 4.4 million cars were manufactured nationally. This was up from just 2.3 million four years earlier. This rise in ownership led to Pitman experiencing parking shortages along its business district.
Car ownership in contrast to home ownership. https://oldurbanist.blogspot.com/2013/02/was-rise-of-car-ownership-responsible.html
Originally all Grove homes were owned by the Camp Meeting Association and rented out. Streets surrounding the Grove area were lined with homes containing driveways. By the 1950’s several small NJ towns enacted on-street parking bans, Pitman being one of them. These bans and time limits imposed particularly impacted our town’s most affordable housing.
Parking issues in Pitman would come to a fever pitch in 1962, when an Urban Renewal Plan was set before the voters. Stating that the homes were not valuable enough to modernize and that maintenance costs were falling to taxpayers; the proposed plan was to demolish the entire Grove, and build a parking lot and apartment complex in its place for the displaced residents. With the measure failing to pass, 35 homes were purchased and rented out by the Borough. Eventually sold off, responsibility for maintenance and upgrades fell to the new homeowners. The current Grove parking lots are the graveyards of once standing cottages.
Much debate in recent years over on-street vs off-street parking revolves around cost; specifically hidden costs behind parking lot development, maintenance, and upkeep. Complexes built today require 2 parking spots for each apartment. Most large businesses build parking lots to accommodate the most patrons possible, even though they may only be half full at any given time. Approximate costs for EACH parking spot run between $20k and $50K, depending on above or below ground. Those costs are passed onto the consumer in each item they purchase and in the rent they pay, regardless the method of travel used. The average on-street parking space is estimated to cost around $1,750 to build and $400 to maintain annually. Allocated from tax dollars, free public parking only appears free on the surface.
Pitman isn’t alone, as several other local towns have experienced similar parking limitations; many of those also dry towns. All on-street parking restrictions disproportionately impact lower-income households; as larger properties contain sufficient driveways and paid parking is not equally affordable to all. Other communities with parking ordinances have included Audubon Park, Collingswood, Glassboro, Haddonfield, Oaklyn, Haddon Heights, Haddon Twp, and Woodbury; with some having since been lifted. In 1997, Woodbury ceased enforcement of their ordinance. Police Chief Karl Kinkler spoke upon the aesthetic value their own ban once had on their community, with the added bonus of making it easy for police to spot a stolen vehicle parked on the street.
*Note the below 1997 article’s quoted yearly revenue of $30,660 generated by just 3-4 nightly ticketed vehicles in Pitman.
Author’s Opinion:
Recent town discussions have brought up the fear of student housing taking over Pitman. As the majority of working adults today own a vehicle, small Grove households with multiple working members are impacted the most by the existing overnight parking ban.
Following the suspension of the overnight 2am-6am ban during Covid; the threat of its return looms. The upcoming Nov 2nd public question “Should the Borough of Pitman allow overnight parking to be permitted on the streets of Pitman with a paid permit,” is being presented as an option to eliminate it. However, this phrasing has been said to be very confusing to many prospective voters, as most reject the idea of paying for something they have gotten for “free” these past 18 months. Much to the chagrin of those generally in favor of overnight street parking, many are expressing a desire to vote NO due to the requirement of a paid permit.
During this suspended period of enforcement, Pitman has not experienced any significant negative effects. On the contrary, multiple households have been able to enjoy their lawn and property during this amnesty. Any potential issues regarding trash pick up, street cleaning, parking on both sides of a narrow street, or an explosion of overnight vehicles could be addressed with appropriately.
The viable solution to Pitman’s rising roadway maintenance costs while positively promoting Grove homeownership, might realistically lie with permitted on-street parking. A full cost analysis may be warranted. Regardless, with already existing stringent rules for rental units in town, requiring a parking permit (whether free or paid) would help alleviate fears of Pitman becoming a college town and having its streets monopolized.
