New Parking controversy resurfaces in this South Jersey shore town

Parking when you visit the New Jersey Shore Towns during the Summer Months has always been a complicated issue. Even when you find a parking spot, you have to make the decision: Do I really want to pay to park here, or should I just keep driving around to find another one that is free?

For some people, the complicated parking situation can be a deterrent from visiting some of the South Jersey Coastal Communities. From year-round residents to seasonal vacationers, sometimes the hassle and cost of parking is not worth it, so they choose other Shore Towns to visit for the beaches, boardwalks, and other summertime fun.

But for some unknown reason, one South Jersey town continues to make decisions about the community's paid parking areas that is perplexing to both business owners and seasonal visitors.

The Latest Chapter In Stone Harbor's Paid Parking Drama

Located off Garden State Parkway Exit 10, Stone Harbor has been a popular South Jersey Summer Vacation Destination for over 100 years. Generations of families from all over the region have visited this Cape May County Coastal Community each year.

But in the aftermath of the COVID-19 Pandemic, many Shore Towns were trying to alleviate people's worries about the spread of diseases. This is why many Coastal Communities started to end the use of traditional parking meters and transition to Virtual Paid Parking.

Where Stone Harbor first got into "hot water" was the perspective of many business owners and summertime visitors that they mishandled the transition. The issue caused plenty of political and community drama, especially when the City Council admitted a lack of working knowledge to how other South Jersey Shore Towns handled the switch to Virtual Paid Parking Meters.

In 2023, Stone Harbor saw a 257% increase in Parking Fines collected, which forced the popular Coastal Community to make proactive changes to its communication with the business community and seasonal visitors.

But almost three years later, the Stone Harbor City Council appears to be tone deaf to how their decisions continue to impact their community when they voted to increase the hourly rate for paid parking on the island.

This is a 150 percent increase from 2025 to 2026, raising the cost from One Dollar per hour parking to $2.50 per hour this upcoming summer. At the most recent City Council Meeting, four different small business owners talked about how this parking rate hike could negatively impact the town.

There is no information about what the Stone Harbor City Council will do in response to these concerns, but based on their reactions at the most recent meeting, they seem to be indifferent about how this impact both local businesses and seasonal visitors.