Parking Ordinance Review Aims to Boost Downtown Growth

The Glen Rock Mayor and Council held their September 25, 2025 work session with all council members present, devoting significant discussion to the restrictive downtown parking ordinance and its effect on business development.

Council Member Elizabeth Coll presented updates from the Business Commission, which surveyed 53 local business and property owners earlier this year.

“The restrictive parking ordinance was identified as the primary reason that property owners were unable to rent their commercial spaces and that new businesses chose not to seek or fail to successfully establish themselves in Glen Rock,” Coll said. She added that dozens of businesses considered relocating to Glen Rock but withdrew after learning they would need to provide off-street parking that does not exist.

The ordinance has not been substantially updated since 2009, and its requirements often force business applicants into a costly and prolonged variance process involving attorneys, architects, and consultants. A local restaurant owner recently testified at a Planning Board hearing about the significant expense created by discrepancies in the ordinance’s treatment of dining establishments.

Council members agreed that the matter should be referred to the Planning Board for review. Some noted that the town’s limited commuter lot revenue must be considered, but others stressed that current requirements discourage investment in downtown storefronts. One council member pointed to neighboring Ridgewood’s model, where businesses operate without similar off-street parking mandates in the central district.

The council voted to prepare a formal resolution for the next meeting to officially refer the ordinance to the Planning Board for review and possible revision.