Our community is taking a creative approach to one of the shore's most persistent challenges: finding a place to park during the busy summer season.
On Tuesday, June 16, Cape May City Council introduced an ordinance designed to make it easier for private parking lot owners to share their spaces with the public. The initiative addresses the parking crunch that comes with our region's tourism success while creating a revenue stream for participating businesses and property owners.
The new framework allows private lot owners to enter into agreements with the city without the lengthy process of separate ordinance introductions and adoptions for each arrangement. Under these parking lot use agreements, businesses can make underutilized spaces available to visitors during Cape May's paid parking hours of 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., or during times when the business doesn't need the lot for its own operations.
When a private lot joins the program, those designated spaces become part of the city's metered parking system managed through the ParkMobile smartphone app. Visitors can pay and manage their parking time digitally, while lot owners receive a portion of the revenue generated by their spaces. The city retains a percentage to cover administrative costs.
Mayor Zack Mullock highlighted the multiple benefits of these arrangements, noting they add more spaces for visitors while increasing parking revenue for the city. The program has already attracted attention beyond our borders—Deputy City Manager Justin Riggs reported that other New Jersey communities have reached out to learn how Cape May's system works.
City Manager Paul Dietrich praised local business owners for their willingness to collaborate on solutions that serve the entire community.
Three new agreements were approved at the meeting, demonstrating the program's growing appeal. Gagliardi's Hardware LLC, known locally as Swain's Hardware, is contributing nine spaces to the public pool. Ocean View Restaurant Inc., which operates breakfast and lunch service, will make its lot available during off-hours when the restaurant isn't open. The Bank Street Commons Condominium is setting aside 30 spaces—the largest contribution among the new participants.
The city already has at least one existing partnership in place with Cape Island Baptist Church, showing that the shared-use concept has proven workable for both religious and commercial property owners.
Solicitor Christopher Gillin-Schwartz explained that the ordinance's purpose is to eliminate bureaucratic delays, allowing new parking arrangements to move forward more quickly as additional businesses express interest in participating.
Residents and business owners who want to weigh in on the proposal can attend a public hearing scheduled for Monday, July 7 at 3 p.m. in Cape May City Hall. The council may vote on final adoption following the hearing.
As our beach communities continue to draw visitors throughout the summer and beyond, innovative partnerships like these demonstrate how public-private cooperation can turn a persistent problem into an opportunity that benefits everyone—from tourists looking for convenient parking to local businesses generating new income from otherwise empty spaces.
About the Author
Karen Johnson
With over 30 years of news experience in major markets like Los Angeles, Denver, and Columbus, Karen now covers our area for South Jersey NewsBeat. She also brings her articulate and conversational news delivery to WOND radio listeners every weekday. Her background includes work with the NBC Radio Network, and she thrives in fast-paced news environments.
