Jersey City to begin opening BOE parking lots to the public to generate new revenues

In the latest effort to help the Jersey City Public Schools, the city is implementing a new pilot program where board of education parking lots will be open to the public during evenings and weekends in an effort to generate more revenues.

By John Heinis/Hudson County View

Parking lots at both Jersey City Public School 24, located at 220 Virginia Ave., and Public School 28, located at 167 Hancock Ave., will provide more than two dozen parking spaces for residents and visitors to use.

The lots, additionally chosen for their proximity to commercial corridors, will be available for public use Monday through Thursday from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. and on weekends from 6 p.m. Friday through 6 a.m. Monday.

“Near shopping, dining and businesses, the first two lots to open in the pilot program will be on the Westside and in the Heights. This is a unique opportunity we have explored and are now implementing to enable us to provide more convenience to our residents and visitors,” said Ward B Councilwoman Mira Prinz-Arey.

“We’ve been working closely with the Board of Education on this mutually beneficial program.”

Parking revenue generated will be shared between the board of education and the city to maintain services, with the majority going to the schools.

Any revenue not used by the city for signage, repairs and other upkeep will go directly back to the schools. Drivers can utilize ParkMobile to pay for their parking in each of the public school lots.

The proposal is scheduled to be voted on for final approval at tonight’s BOE meeting, which will be held at Public School No. 26, located at 164 Laidlaw Ave., at 5 p.m.

“We’ve worked with the community to identify specific problem areas when it comes to finding a parking spot. It is our hope to expand the pilot program and open more school lots in the near future, as this not only helps those who drive in our City, but it will also be an additional revenue source for the school district,” added Mayor Steven Fulop.

“In any large city, parking pains exist. That’s why we’re continually looking for ways we can relieve parking pains in our community.”

This pilot is the latest step in a larger effort by the city to enhance parking for residents.

In April, Councilwoman Denise Ridley announced plans to add parking in Ward A for the first time in decades. Her two ordinances also allocate more overnight parking and create angled parking in areas to create more spaces.

Additionally, Jersey City BOE President Sudhan Thomas applauded the initiative.

“The JCBOE is excited about furthering the ongoing strategic partnership with the city through this new parking initiative. This will help the citizens of Jersey City,” he said.

“This will help the citizens of Jersey City. This brings new revenues to the JCBOE by optimizing our assets. We are hopeful the pilot initiative will quickly broad-sweep to a district wide implementation.”

The BOE is looking for creative ways to prevent layoffs after their $638 million budget initially came with a $120 million deficit.

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated with a comment from Jersey City Board of Education President Sudhan Thomas.