Overcrowded Meeting Sparks Outcry Over Parking Woes in Harrison

When Harrison resident Alex Roman entered the Mayor’s Conference Room for the Town of Harrison NJ Mayor & Council meeting on Tuesday, January 21, 2025, he was met with an unexpected problem—not enough seats to accommodate everyone. The cramped room quickly filled to capacity, forcing department heads to relinquish their seats and stand in the hallway to make room for residents.

This scenario underscored a broader issue: despite the availability of the spacious Mayor & Council chambers—specifically designed for larger gatherings and equipped with high ceilings and large windows for better ventilation—the meetings continue to be held in the smaller room. Mayor James Fife has avoided using the larger chamber for the past two years, citing a broken air conditioning system, although steam radiators adequately heat the room during winter. Notably, the Harrison Zoning Board and the Harrison Planning Board regularly use the larger chambers for their meetings.

Parking Tickets: Toll on Morale and Finances

During the public session, Roman expressed his and his Southern Harrison (SOHO) neighbors' frustration over the relentless issuance of parking tickets which are taking a toll not just on residents' morale but also on their finances. Alongside several other residents from the area around 330 Cifelli Drive, which is across the street from the Harrison PATH station, Roman highlighted the excessive costs of parking meters, which require almost round-the-clock payment to avoid tickets. When council members suggested using the Harrison Parking Garage as an alternative, residents countered that the garage's monthly fee of $250 is significantly higher than the $180 neighborhood rate and does not guarantee a parking spot during events at the newly renamed Sports Illustrated Stadium formerly the Red Bull Arena.  The residents also pointed out that there have been car break-ins overnight in the Harrison Parking Garage.  One resident preferred street parking adjacent to his residence so that he could periodically check up on his automobile.

Poor Timing On Purchase of Harrison’s Parking Garage

The operation of the Harrison Parking Garage, acquired from the Hudson County Improvement Authority as part of the town's redevelopment plan, was outsourced by the Mayor and Council to Laz Parking. Despite this, the garage has not been profitable, with parking revenues failing to reach the levels seen under county management.  The Hudson County Improvement Authority timed the sale of the parking garage before the COVID-19 pandemic which put the Harrison Parking Garage into a revenue tailspin which it has yet to recover from.

Underground Parking Garage: Transformative Project

Former Councilman Anselmo Millan previously proposed the construction of an underground parking facility at Library Park, also known as Franklin D. Roosevelt Park, to alleviate the critical parking shortage in Northern Harrison. Yet, Mayor Fife’s administration has made no moves to initiate this potentially transformative project. The City of Newark built an underground parking garage at Military Park in Downtown Newark NJ.

Lack of Parking Effects Quality of Life

The lack of parking is a nightly challenge for all Harrison residents, who often resort to parking in corner spaces and loading zones. The situation in SOHA is compounded by the fact that almost all the streets are parking-metered streets and street cleaning begins at 4 a.m., disrupting the lives of residents who feel they are being treated more like commuters than community members.  Street cleaning on the Northern part of Harrison (NOHA) starts at 9 a.m. and only North Frank E. Rodgers Blvd, Harrison Avenue and a small stretch of North 3^rd Street is metered parking. The Town of Harrison has partnered with ParkMobile to automate Parking meters which adds an additional fee to the regular parking fee. The Mayor & Council also hired additional parking enforcement personnel.  The Parkmobile meters provide alerts to parking enforcement personnel when a resident has gone over their allotted time on their parking meter. It’s not Artificial Intelligence but it is a step up from manually checking each meter. Too much efficiency is causing financial hardship to residents who own automobiles and are ticketed quickly. There is far less leeway when you forget to “feed your meter”.

As frustrations boil over, the question remains: Will the Fife administration seek out real solutions to the parking crisis, or will Harrison residents continue to bear the burden of lack of parking and/or affordable and safe parking?

Join the conversation on our Community Discussion Board. If you haven’t signed up yet, it’s free—be part of the discussion today!