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MARGATE – The Board of Commissioners Thursday, April 18 introduced an ordinance revising the city’s towing ordinance, which will pave the way for much needed additional parking in the city. It also introduced a second ordinance setting the rules and hours of operation for parking at a municipal lot on Washington Avenue.
If adopted, Ordinance 04-2019 would require towers to bring vehicles to a lot in Atlantic City instead of the Margate vehicle storage area, which will be converted to use for public parking.
Changes to the ordinance reduce the license period granted to towers, who serve as independent contractors, from two years to one year. Towers on the approved list will rotate services on a one-week basis unless extreme conditions warrant additional towers during emergencies.
The ordinance also substantially increases fees the towers can charge for the services they provide:
- Transporting illegally parked, impounded or disabled vehicles weighing 7,000 pounds or less $100, up from $85;
- Transporting vehicles between 7,000 and 12,000 pounds, $200, up from $100;
- Transporting vehicles over 12,000 pounds, $350, up from $115;
- Transporting vehicles under 7,000 from an accident scene, including cleaning and removal of debris, $125, up from $100;
- Transporting vehicles between 7,000 and 12,000 pounds from an accident scene, including cleaning and removal of debris, $225, up from $130;
- Transporting vehicles over 12,000, including cleaning and removal of debris, $375, up from $130;
- Extra winching, $100 per hour, up from $50 per hour;
- Storage lot fee, $30 per day, up from the $5 the city charged to take vehicles to the Margate storage lot.
The elimination of the $5 storage fee previously charged by the city will allow the existing tow lot to be upgraded to accommodate public parking.
“We are actually getting out of the towing business in the City of Margate,” Police Chief David Wolfson said. “We are going to turn it over to private contractors who will store the vehicles outside of Margate.”
Vehicles will be taken to a lot located at 1333 Arctic Ave. in Atlantic City, he said.
“We already removed a bunch of cars there from our wreck lot,” Wolfson said.
Public Works Supervisor Frank Ricciotti said the city has already cleaned up the city’s tow lot, removed some trees and brush, and will relocate a shipping container filled with bicycles to the site.
Commissioner John Amodeo said he would meet with City Engineer Ed Dennis Jr. next week to devise the layout of parking spaces before the Police Department stripes the yard.
The city also introduced Ordinance 05-2019, which revises the hours for parking at the city’s public parking lot located at 15 N. Washington Ave. The city previously leased the 18 parking spaces to area business owners on an annual basis with a minimum bid of $200 per space.
The ordinance will now restrict the lease period to May 1 to Oct. 31 and parking will be available for two-hour periods from 6 a.m. to midnight. Residents who live in the surrounding area will be permitted to park there from midnight to 6 a.m.
A public bidding for the parking spaces will be held 10 a.m. Tuesday, April 23 at the Margate Municipal Building, 9001 Washington Ave., with the minimum bid amount of $200.
Public hearings on the ordinances will be held 4 p.m. Thursday, May 2 at Historic City Hall, 1 S. Washington Ave.
In other parking related issues, Amodeo said the city would be restoring before summer 21 of the 24 spots along Amherst Avenue that have been closed because of the ongoing bulkhead restoration project. The remaining three spaces are needed for the reconstruction of Lamberti’s Restaurant and Sunset Bay Marina.
According to city Administrator Richard Deaney, the owner of Lamberti’s has been put on notice that he is responsible for setting aside 24 parking spaces at his parking lot on Monroe Avenue for use by the public during daylight hours throughout the summer, and that the parking spaces must be available by Memorial Day.
The public parking agreement was a requirement for the city turning over ownership of the old restaurant, which was recently torn down and will be rebuilt, in exchange for Lamberti replacing the city-owned bulkhead beneath the restaurant. The city previously leased the building to Lamberti for $500 a year. After the building is completed, it will be added to the tax rolls.
Deaney said the city is also considering leasing for the summer a parking lot previously owned by Johnny’s Café.
“I think it’s a good idea to ask the owner if she would be interested in leasing it for the summer,” Commissioner Maury Blumberg said. “Right now, she’s getting nothing.”
The lot is currently for sale for about $800,000.
