Shared Parking Plan

By Rebecca Greene

Months of discussions between the borough, the Fair Lawn Chamber of Commerce and the River Road Improvement Corporation (RRIC) has resulted in a shared parking plan and shared parking agreement that concludes almost two years of effort. With the details concluded, the stage has been set to implement long awaited zoning incentives to spur new business development and investment on River Road.

“The new ordinance addresses parking by offering an opportunity for increased utilization of available parking,” said Arthur Levine, RRIC Trustee.

Cooperative parking allows property owners to share adjacent parking space. For example, if one business operates mainly during the day (bank), and another operates mainly at night (restaurant), they could share lot space and have enough parking available for their clients during their respective business hours.

The agreement includes the following:

- Within the B4/B5 zone, anyone can purchase spaces from lots made available by the borough.

- Also within the B4/B5 zone, businesses get the benefit of a 25 percent parking requirement reduction if they sign onto the cooperative parking plan. Signing onto the agreement is optional.

- If a business is in the B4/B5 zone, they can enter into a private business agreement via the established cooperative parking agreement; or, they can do business with the borough by buying spaces in one of the borough’s lots.

- Another option is purchasing parking shortfalls for $3,000 per five-year period. After the fifth year, they are required to renew the agreement.

New Development Welcome

“Now we can start identifying new areas that may welcome redevelopment,” said Levine. The RRIC has hired “Square Foot”, a company that specializes in business recruitment for redeveloping areas. The recruitment process is expected to go on throughout the summer.

To get to this point the RRIC has worked for more than seven years, wading through the process of making River Road the kind of place the entire borough can be proud of and the kind of place outsiders will visit more often.

The RRIC was formed as the overseeing body of the Special Improvement District along River Road from Harrison Drive to Lincoln Avenue. During this time, the RRIC has orchestrated the beautifying of the area, which includes new street lamps; brick pavers and reconstructed sidewalks; benches; trash receptacles; and planted and maintained greenery.

Their most intense effort by far, though, has been the parking agreement. It has now provided the stepping stone to new development. “There are properties that are underused and obsolete,” said RRIC Project Director, Don Smartt.

“We have major new development coming in across the river--Home Depot--in an Urban Enterprise Zone offering reduced sales tax and in a county unaffected by Bergen's 'Blue Laws' prohibiting Sunday shopping,” he said. “This, in and of itself, could spur new development.”

The RRIC wants to actively work with the borough and the Chamber to promote development on River Road. Many believe that this will, in turn, impact other areas in the borough, like Broadway, in future months. “There are several parcels of land that need to be reviewed for use,” said Bob Landzettel, RRIC President. “That’s what Square Foot does. It’s their expertise. They match appropriate developers with the character of a town or specific area.”

This kind of careful consideration is all part of the planning process. And it’s why things don’t, and can’t, move more quickly. Long-time resident RRIC founding member and current Board Trustee, Barbara Simon, knows this as well as anyone. “I want to see River Road as the really neat place it was back when there was a Grand Union and a library,” said Simon. Landzettel said their work with a business recruiter is ground-breaking for Fair Lawn. “We’re seeing how this goes, but we’re definitely taking a proactive stance on getting new business here.”