West New York plans to bond additional millions of dollars for the construction of a parking garage in town.
The West New York Board of Commissioners have voted unanimously to introduce an ordinance that would bond $3,450,000 for the construction of a parking garage at the site of the 57th Street Parking Lot. This is one of three surface parking lots currently being converted to parking garages by the town to increase parking, including the lots at 51st Street and 54th Street.
The money that would be bonded in the ordinance introduced at the board’s March 23 meeting is in addition to millions the town has already set aside for the project. The town previously appropriated $8,550,000 in parking utility bonds in support of the project, in an ordinance adopted by the commissioners in February of 2021.
The move to bond more funds aims to finance the additional cost of the project. The maximum amount of bonds to be issued for the project is now $11,590,000, according to the ordinance.
More parking spaces at 57th Street
In early March, the West New York Planning Board conducted a courtesy review of the project, endorsing the move to add more parking in town. The existing surface parking lot is around 94 parking spaces. The new planned garage will hold approximately 197 parking spaces.
To the north of the parking lot is 58th Street, to the west is Bergenline Avenue, to the south is 57th Street, and to the east are buildings. The entrance would be on 57th Street. Underneath the first floor drive ramp is storage space for the town. The three-story parking garage has multiple stairways and an elevator.
The history of the town was taken into consideration when designing the facade of the parking garage. The brick design is meant to highlight West New York’s history as a former textile industry hub. The brick patterns aim to emulate that and the surrounding neighborhood.
Pedestrian walkways approximately 13 feet in width will run around the perimeter of the building. Construction is estimated to complete by mid-November of 2023.
Officials eager to address parking problem
After the ordinance was introduced, Mayor Gabriel Rodriguez touted the project which aims to alleviate the parking problem in West New York.
“We are very excited to once again be voting on something that is going to improve the parking situation in the town of West New York,” Rodriguez said. “I thank everybody involved, the town administrator, project manager, all the commissioners, engineers, and architects. This is something that our community needs and we are happy to vote yes moving forward.”
Also at the meeting, the board voted to send the project back out to bid, in search of a construction contractor to build the parking garage. Project officials sought bids to be presented to the board by April 20, and it appears that things are on track to meet that timeline.
A public hearing and vote on the ordinance, as well as potentially further discussion of the parking projects, will be held at the next board meeting. The West New York Board of Commissioners will meet next on April 6 at 6:30 p.m. via Zoom. For more information, go to westnewyorknj.org.
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