The Borough of Deal is planning on discussing and possibly introducing another Ordinance on Wednesday to issue permits for parking on Hathaway, Neptune, Sydney and Monmouth Dr. on "one side of the street" - another access restriction to the newly replenished beaches. If you care about access to these beaches please show up and voice your concerns at Deal Borough Hall, Wednesday (6/29) at 5:00 PM.
Beach access advocate claims victory after Deal agrees to table parking ordinance
Posted July 8, 2016 In News
A parking ordinance that would effectively hinder beach access in Deal has been tabled, a beach access advocate said.
“Victory! At the Borough Hall meeting this morning, the mayor and council agreed to table Ordinance #1134. This is another small victory for beach access in Monmouth County,” announced Andrew Chambarry, an attorney and the leader of the “COBRA: Citizens in Opposition to Beach Restrictive Access” group.
The ordinance would create resident parking only along one side of Hathaway, Neptune [at right], and Sydney avenues, Deal Esplanade, Darlington Road, Ocean Lane, Monmouth Drive and Monmouth Terrace, Borough Administrator Stephen Carasia said last month.
The ordinance will officially be tabled at during the 9 a.m. July 27 governing body meeting at Deal borough hall.
“However, the Borough has stated that they will study the ‘parking issues’ and will likely come up with another proposal in the future,” Chambarry said.
“We need to work with the borough to come up with a fair and equitable proposal for beach access and parking in Deal,” he added. “We are still urging those interested to come to the meeting on July 27 to thank the Borough and submit suggestions and comments on what should be done with parking in the area.”
Late last year during a similar attempt, which was later tabled, Chambarry said such an ordinance is unconstitutional and would place a substantial burden on the public’s ability to access the beach, which he calls a “traditional public forum,” since it limits access to non-residents.
Jersey Shore Hurricane News. A two-way news outlet. JSHN is news for the people, by the people. JSHN covers news, traffic, and weather in Ocean and Monmouth. News you can use.
Yesterday evening Deal's three Commisioners voted to introduce Ordinance # 1134 Parking by Permit During Certain Hours on Certain Days on Certain Streets. It wil be open for public comment at their meeting on July 27 at 9:00 AM, Deal Borough Hall, 190 Norwood Ave, Deal, New Jersey 07723.
Battle Brewing Over Limited Public Parking Proposal At New Jersey Beach
June 29, 2016 6:04 PM
DEAL, N.J. (CBSNewYork)– There’s a battle over public parking at a beach in New Jersey.
Beach access points are bustling in Deal and the parking nearby is open, for now.
“It’s actually really helpful when I can park right here near the beach,” Oakhurst resident Stephanie Stout told CBS2’s Vanessa Murdock.
Stout hits the beach daily, but worries an ordinance being introduced at borough hall Wednesday evening could change her carefree lifestyle.
“The ordinance would restrict public parking to one side of the street Thursday through Sunday and on holidays,” she said.
The other side would be for residents with permits only. The ordinance applies to some, but not all roads that lead to the beach.
It seems to be an exclusionary tactic and Red Bank resident Bill Brooks has a big problem with that.
“All the beach you see beside me was replenished after Sandy with federal funds,” he said. “Quite frankly everyone in this country helped pay for this new beach.”
Sean McDonough with Citizens In Opposition to Beach Restrictive Access, or COBRA, helped stave off a similar ordinance introduced in October. He said it’s starting to feel like public money has been used to create private beaches.
“We just want to be able to use the ocean – we feel it’s the right of all us,” he said.
The mayor said they are not restricting beach access in any way. In a statement he wrote, “We are looking to give the residents that are located in the immediate vicinity of the free beach access entryways, some relief in the way of parking by allocating 50 percent of the spaces for residents and 50 percent for visitors.”
A homeowner, who didn’t want to go on camera, told CBS2 she wishes the borough would take it a step further and restrict parking to residents only. She claims there are too many strange people coming in and out and feels that parking should only be there for whose who pay the taxes.
Deal, New Jersey, has beautiful beaches - but good luck actually getting to them. The affluent coastal community, which has a long history of subtly deterring public access to their beaches, is well known for being short on parking and high on demand. Unlike many Jersey Shore towns, Deal remains almost wholly residential; there is no boardwalk, promenade, or public concessions along the waterfront, which is populated primarily by multi-million dollar summer cottages. Thus, visitors who wish to enjoy the treasured coastline are presented with two options: 1) purchase a membership at the local beach club (a move that comes with a hefty price tag), or 2) try and fight for one of the few open spots available for on-street parking.
It’s a reality that has drawn the ire of surfers, fishers, and conservationists for decades, and it has only gotten worse lately. Remember, Deal’s beaches were just replenished by a federal government project: they are truly nicer than ever. Some residents, hoping to maximize their enjoyment of the town’s oceanfront without having to deal with pesky visitors, have sought to deter those from neighboring towns and states from using their beaches.
It’s a tragic irony; the nicer the beaches, the less people will likely be able to enjoy them. Every inch of government subsidized sand acts as an incentive to prevent visitors—be they “benny” or “local”—from reaping the benefits of their own tax dollars.
This debate became particularly heated last fall when a brazen proposal to restrict on-street parking to residents of the community resulted in fierce opposition. Most saw through this charade, a thinly veiled attempt to keep the masses from setting foot on the sand their taxes paid to replenish. The rationale, as presented by proponents of the restriction, was that there simply wasn’t enough parking to accommodate residents and visitors alike. Of course, the notion that Deal homeowners were somehow disadvantaged by the lack of parking spaces on the streets was absolutely without merit. Deal is, after all, the land of the mansion, and most of the “cottages” along the oceanfront have driveways larger than the average middle class house.
Besides, it wasn’t as though the oceanfront magically appeared one day without warning. Deal has always been known as a beach community, and almost all these residents purchased their summer homes well after the advent of the automobile. In other words, it shouldn’t have come as a shock that people would be parking along the ocean and using the beaches in the summer, as such was likely what incentivized these property owners to buy there in the first place.
Thankfully, in the wake of intense public criticism, the municipal government decided against the parking restrictions. It was a move near universally hailed as being appropriate…but the victory was rather short lived. Now, less than a year later, a “compromise” is in the works. On Wednesday, Deal’s municipal leaders will introduce a new ordinance, essentially a watered down version of that proposed last year, to issue parking permits to residents and restrict the public’s right to park to one side of the road. Essentially, this means the space available for non-residents to park for the beach will be cut in half.
The ordinance will be presented at Deal’s Borough Hall this Wednesday at five o’clock. Hopefully, those who recognize the fallacy of restricting parking in the town will either appear in person or e-mail their disapproval to the municipal leadership, including Mayor Sam Cohen, who can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..">Mayor@dealborough.com. It is time the newly elected Mayor and Commissioners recognize not all situations deserve a “compromise.” Sometimes, one side of a debate is simply wrong. There really couldn’t be a clearer example of that fact than the parking debate, so let’s hope the municipal government once again stands up for public beach access and does the right thing, because this definitely isn’t the time to cut a deal.
Disclaimer of Liability: The materials on the NJ Scuba Divers Message Board web site are provided to you free of charge, "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR NON-INFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL NJ SCUBA DIVERS MESSAGE BOARD OR BOARDHOST.COM BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER, INCLUDING SPECIAL, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES OR DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF PROFITS, REVENUE, USE, OR DATA WHETHER BROUGHT IN CONTRACT OR TORT, ARISING OUT OF OR CONNECTED WITH ANY NJ SCUBA DIVERS MESSAGE BOARD POST OR BOARDHOST.COM WEB SITE OR THE USE, RELIANCE UPON OR PERFORMANCE OF ANY MATERIAL CONTAINED IN OR ACCESSED FROM ANY NJ SCUBA DIVERS MESSAGE BOARD POST OR BOARDHOST.COM WEB SITE.
Link Disclaimer: We provide links to web sites operated by other parties. The links are provided for your convenience only. The presence of a link does not imply any endorsement of the material on the web sites or any association with the web site's operators. We do not operate, control or endorse any information, products or services provided by third parties through the Internet. We are not responsible for the content and performance of these sites. Use of linked sites is strictly at your own risk including any risks associated with destructive viruses.
If you like this website, and would like to give something in return, you can make a donation Your donation will be used to pay for domain & maintenance costs ONLY! Click the PayPal Donate button below....THANK YOU!