News
- February 12, 2010 • Business leaders continue to work on parking problems
- November 18, 2009 • Downtown Freehold says thanks to sponsors
- November 11, 2009 • Throckmorton Street gets new landscaping
- October 7, 2009 • American Hotel moves closer to debut
- October 4, 2009 • Center Players Presents "12 Angry Men"
- August 5, 2009 • Postal service suspends plan to close Freehold facility
- August 5, 2009 • Volunteers put forth effort to repair homes
- July 28, 2009 • Postal Review buys time for Freehold post office
- July 28, 2009 • Freehold gets more beautiful with Main Street Beauty Supply
- July 15, 2009 • Freehold council OKs SID budget for 2009
- July 15, 2009 • NJ Congressman blasts USPS for plans to close station
- July 2, 2009 • Freehold's fireworks, music show promise to be a blast
- June 29, 2009 • Freehold passes special improvement budget, 5-1
- June 16, 2009 • Freehold begins search for its newest "idol"
- May 27, 2009 • Freehold awaits state OK before adopting budget
- May 27, 2009 • Summer events kick off with First Kruise Night
- May 18, 2009 • Freehold to host Memorial Day Parade
- March 13, 2009 • Zebu Forno opens in Freehold
- March 25, 2009 • Congressman: Freehold should keep post office
- January 28, 2009 • Executive director works to refocus business group
- October 30, 2008 • Zebu Forno will open in Freehold
News
Study looks at parking situation in Freehold
Officials may pursue idea of new driveway into East Main Street parking lot
February 17, 2010 • News Transcript
By Clare Marie Celano, Staff Writer
A traffic and parking study of Freehold Borough’s downtown district has been submitted to the New Jersey Department of Transportation by Monmouth County on behalf of Downtown Freehold.
Downtown Freehold, formerly called the Freehold Center Partnership, oversees activities in the downtown district.
Downtown Freehold CEO Richard Gatto said a traffic and parking study for the downtown area was completed by Mc- Donough and Rea Associates, Manasquan, and resulted in several recommendations, including a proposed curb cut into a parking lot on East Main Street.
East Main Street is Route 79 (a state highway) in Freehold Borough and is under the jurisdiction of the state.
The study was completed in September and presented to Monmouth County officials.
The traffic patterns in downtown Freehold were analyzed to determine whether changes to the street network could or should be made so motorists could more easily access underused public parking areas, specifically a Monmouth County parking lot on Lafayette Street.
The study also examined the Market Yard parking area to try to determine if a safer and more efficient flow of traffic is possible in that facility, and if additional parking spaces in that facility can be created, possibly by purchasing adjacent property.
According to the study, the option that appears to have the most potential is the possibility of opening up a right-turn, entrance only curb cut from westbound West Main Street into the parking lot that is shared by the Monmouth County Hall of Records Annex and the stores behind the Liberty Triumphant monument on West Main Street.
Residents and visitors to Freehold Borough know the Hall of Records Annex parking lot as the location of the town’s summer concert series.
According to the study, the entrance from West Main Street to the Hall of Records Annex parking lot will increase the use of that lot and lessen the likelihood that people traveling west on West Main Street will need to proceed to the Market Yard parking lot (via South and Mechanic streets) to search for available parking spaces.
There are approximately 130 parking spaces in the Hall of Records Annex parking lot, which the study said is underused during peak weekend and peak weekday evening hours when the downtown restaurants are the busiest.
The study also recommends restriping and reorganizing the Market Yard parking lot to include an expanded loading zone adjacent to the restaurants behind West Main Street and a one-way circulation pattern in a westerly direction adjacent to the American Hotel and neighboring restaurants.
The study also recommends extending the existing Market Yard parking aisles that are perpendicular to the restaurants in a southerly direction to better organize flow to provide a safer and more efficient circulation pattern within the lot.
In addition, the report recommends obtaining land (a total of 0.65 acres) from several residential properties adjoining the Market Yard in the southwest corner of the parking lot. At present there are 368 parking spaces in the Market Yard. The additional 0.65 acres would provide 87 new parking spaces, according to the study.
The study prepared by McDonough and Rea does not recommend making any changes in the flow of traffic on Court or Sheriff streets, which are adjacent to the Hall of Records Annex parking lot.
Contact Clare Celano at ccelano@gmnews.com.
