By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
Don’t be surprised if long lines of people stretch down the sidewalk and wrap around Sea Isle City’s Community Lodge on April 1.
Virtually every year there is a big rush to buy Sea Isle’s ultra-popular summer parking permits — with customers lining up even before the doors open in the morning on the first day the permits are sold.
“Typically, there are quite a few people in line for the parking permits,” City Clerk Shannon Romano said.
Romano’s office oversees the sale of the parking permits. Starting at 9 a.m. on April 1 at the Community Lodge, a total of 450 permits will be up for sale on a first come, first served basis. There will be a limit of three permits per customer.
This year, the permits have increased in price. Previously they cost $250, but the city has raised the price to $350 each.
Despite the price increase, the seasonal permits are a bargain compared to how much it would cost to use the individual parking spaces over the entire summer, city officials said. On average, an individual parking space generates about $1,400 in revenue for the city each summer.
“Even with an increase, it’s quite a savings if they use it all season,” Romano said of the parking permit.
New for this year, parking permits will be transferrable, allowing friends or family members to share them for different vehicles. The city previously was more restrictive by limiting the permits to specific vehicles.
“Now they can pass it around from vehicle to vehicle, instead of limiting them to specific vehicles,” Romano said.
Sea Isle charges for parking from May 15 to Labor Day. The seasonal permits allow drivers to park in the municipal lots and individual parking spaces, saving them from the worry of getting a parking ticket.
“It doesn’t surprise me because of their convenience,” Romano said of the popularity of the parking permits.
The seasonal permits routinely sell out each year, with demand particularly heavy on the first day they go on sale in April. In previous years, Mayor Leonard Desiderio has issued an executive order to increase the number of parking permits that are sold to meet higher demand.
Normally, high demand for the parking permits is an indication that Sea Isle is primed for a strong summer season – just like with the robust sale of beach tags.
Parking is at a premium during Sea Isle’s bustling summer tourism season, making the permits a highly coveted prize. The city forbids the permits from being resold.
Romano urged motorists to keep an eye on their permits, because they would have to pay the regular price of $350 to replace them if they are lost or stolen.
Sea Isle also sells weekly parking permits. The price for weekly permits is rising to $80 each for this summer, compared to $50 last year. There is no limit on the number of weekly permits that motorists may buy.
Romano said motorists will get an extra day this year with the weekly permits. Previously, they were good for seven days, but now motorists will be able to use them for eight days.
The city decided to extend the weekly permits to eight days because many of the weeklong vacation rentals in town run from Saturday to Saturday, Romano said.
Drivers who don’t have seasonal or weekly parking permits must pay using the cashless ParkMobile app that was introduced in Sea Isle in 2021. Sea Isle got rid of its old parking meters and kiosks in 2022 while transitioning to the ParkMobile system.
There is another option for people who may not feel comfortable using the app. They may call a toll-free number listed on the ParkMobile signs to speak to the company’s customer service center and use their credit card to pay for parking over the phone.
