Morristown Residents 'Struggling with the Parking'

Morristown's downtown features many attractions for area residents and beyond, but that influx of cars combined with high population density often vexes residents who struggle with parking.

A few months ago, the town worked toward finding a solution in the Dehart Street area after hearing feedback from residents. They implemented parking restrictions on surrounding streets. However, that has now negatively affected other residents.

At the apartments at Heritage House, the tenants are running into a problem with not being able to find or pay for parking near their homes. At the end of Tuesday’s Town Council meeting, a temporary solution was reached, which was to give Heritage House residents a temporary resident permit for a month while the lot behind Heritage House is being renovated.

“I’m going to do my part and put a lot up there, but I need the town to contribute,” said Heritage House qwner Randy Kleinwaks.

“My tenants have been struggling with the parking,” he told the Morristown Parking Authority prior to the council meeting. “The building was built in the late 60s — 95 apartments, 95 cars. A family living in a two-bedroom can only have one car. The lot (now) is full. It was never completely full, there was always a spot or two, but it just started to fill completely so there’s no place for them to go.”

He added that about 20 cars are displaced, which park on Entrance and Colles avenues. “They now are scattering for spaces,” he said at the council meeting.

Kleinwaks said that his understanding behind the parking restrictions was the noise, crowd and trash from the nearby bar scene. However, he told the parking authority that his residents do not contribute to that. 

“Our people park, eat, come home. I don’t think they’re really the cause of the issue.”

One of the hurdles that Kleinwaks brought up when he’s spoken to the town in the past is that residents can only get parking permits for the street they’re located on. However, Heritage House is located on Mount Kemble Avenue, which is a state road and does not have street parking.

“The town creates the ordinances. All we do is enforce,” said parking authority Chair Anthony Lucia.

Kleinwaks also brought up the financial struggle for some of his tenants, as well.

“Rents are high in town. I’m trying to get them resident permits, which I feel they’re entitled to because they’re residents,” he said. “They should be entitled to park in the street just like the Wetmore residents.”

Later at the council meeting, he said that he had five or six tenants that are reconsidering resigning their lease because of the parking issue. “They can’t afford it, to live in town and pay for parking … some of them need relief.”

He suggested resident permits or hardship permits for his residents.

“Aside from the fact that I can’t afford to pay the $75 parking permit, I’m currently doing that right now and walking back and forth from the parking garage to the building at whatever hour it needs to be. It’s a terrible inconvenience,” said Heritage House resident Jamie Wolek. 

“We all walked in the 98 degrees because we’re afraid to move our cars and as soon as this meeting’s over, we’re going to race each other home to get those spots.”

Kleinwaks added that most Wetmore residents have driveways, yet also have a street permit.

“Almost every house on that block has a driveway and/or 1-2 car garages … why do these people need to have parking permits when they have driveways and 2-car garages in their houses?” said John Milne, Heritage House resident. “We can’t park anywhere except Entrance Avenue,” however, that street is free parking and the residents compete with the public for those spaces.

“I’m starting to lose tenants. It’s really not fair … We’re good citizens, we put money into the building, keeping it nice, keeping the neighborhood nice," said Kleinwaks. 

In the meantime, Kleinwaks is renovating a slanted lot behind the Heritage House for additional parking for his tenants. It’s a small, steep lot that may not be able to accommodate the surplus number of cars that need parking though.

“There is a lot on the side that the county (used to) use before the garages went up. We’re getting bids, and we’re going to improve that lot, but I don’t know how many spaces that’ll get (us),” he said. “We’ve were struggling because (Heritage House) reached about 50 years old and the quality of the units went downhill … We’ve upgraded the building, increased its value, brought in more people into the town.”  

“Parking is always an issue … We do understand the plight that you’re in. We appreciate that you’re going to do the lot, which is adjacent to the property,” said Mayor Tim Dougherty. “I think there are two issues I’m hearing here — one is finance … and (the second) is two-fold: there is not enough space now (partially due to the) time period to take management to do the lot … and the new regulations that were passed by the governing body is pushing them off the side streets."

“There’s a provision in the code that allows for a hardship. A hardship would be considered for … tenants who don’t have parking on site and in some instances, there is no on-street parking near their building. There are medical exceptions that we make,” said Morristown Business Administrator Michael Rogers. 

“I think we all want a solution … for temporary relief … but I don’t have any legal authority.”

Vijayant Pawar, municipal attorney, suggested a temporary permit for residents for the one month that Kleinwaks said it should take to upgrade the lot. Dougherty added that after the lot’s done, Rogers will “have to go over and evaluate the parking and the hardship …”

Morristown Clerk Matt Stechauner asked which streets the temporary permit would apply to. Rogers said that they would need to take a look at the streets nearby and decide. Dougherty said that it’s on the resident to call the parking authority to get the temporary permit. 

Council President Michelle Dupree Harris added that a letter should be sent out to ward residents letting them know about this temporary situation.