An ordinance that will, for at least six months, establish permit parking on several Second Ward streets in Kearny, was adopted by Kearny’s governing body at a meeting March 25.
The permits, which will cost residents $10 per vehicle, will be for residents who live on any part of Ann Street, Radley Street and Sanford Avenue — and Ogden Avenue on the east side of the block. The west side of the block is in Harrison. The ordinance does not include the 21 spaces governed by a previous town agreement on Sanford Avenue.
The permits will be required for parking daily from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.
Contractors and delivery vehicles, when rendering services, do not need permits.
Emergency vehicles are also exempt.
Permits will be issued and controlled by the Kearny Police Department and for personal vehicles only. To get a permit, one must live in the designated zones, and a driver’s license and vehicle registration in the area must be shown as proof.
Employees of any business in the zone who do not live in Kearny may apply for a permit at a $50 cost.
Violators are subject to $50 fines for each day parked without a permit.
The new law takes effect April 15.
Though in the Second Ward, Councilman George Zapata, who chairs the town’s ordinance committee, and Marytrine DeCastro, who chairs the town’s parking committee, both chimed in on the decision to implement permits.
“In the past few years, we’ve heard a lot from residents,” Zapata said. “Residents submitted 60 or 70 petitions about it and so here we are, the ordinance was adopted and we’ll see how it works. But this is democracy in action. A lot of people put a lot of effort into this and I am pleased we are where we are now.”
DeCastro, meanwhile, also commented.
“I am thrilled this ordinance has finally passed for our residents,” DeCastro said. “I am committed to listening to the residents who share their concerns and I try to carefully consider all the viable options that will improve the quality of life in Kearny. The Ordinance adopted at the Mayor and Town Council meeting March 25, 2025 is the result of countless hours of meetings held with the parking committee in partnership with our municipal professionals and the processing of comments and concerns raised by our residents. As liaison and chairwoman of the Parking Committee, I know firsthand that we review comments and concerns shared by residents and we try to come up with solutions that benefit our residents.
“The Parking Committee was put in place during Mayor Carol Jean Doyle’s administration. The result of the Parking Committee’s collaboration with Mayor Doyle, Town Business Administrator Stephen Marks, (police) Chief Scott Macfie and the Kearny Police Department, Town Attorney Jim Bruno, who crafts our ordinances and carefully explains the nuances of the new law and the impact on residents, the Town Clerk’s office, who administers our overnight residential parking permit programs, the Police Committee and Parking Committee councilmembers, Michael Neglia and David Silva from Neglia Engineering, taking time to review the ordinance and residential impact, Shuaib Firozvi, our CFO, are all integral in assisting Mayor Doyle and the Town Council in making sound, reasonable decisions for our residents and the business community.”
Before now, it seemed Mayor Carol Jean Doyle and several on the council were resistant to permits of any kind.
But after numerous discussions — and the residents’ input — the change was made to see how things go for the next six months. If success is found, perhaps the program will continue. That will be determined, however, after October.
“We couldn’t do this with a one-size-fits-all approach,” Zapata said. “We used a niche approach and I believe it was for the best.
Once the ordinance takes effect in mid-April, applications and permits will be available at the Kearny Police Department, 237 Laurel Ave., from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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Kevin A. Canessa Jr. is the editor of and broadcaster at The Observer, an organization he has served since 2006. He is responsible for the editorial content of the newspaper and website, the production of the e-Newspaper, writing several stories per week (including the weekly editorial), conducting live broadcasts on social media channels such as YouTube, Facebook, and X, including a weekly recap of the news — and much more behind the scenes. Between 2006 and 2008, he introduced the newspaper to its first-ever blog — which included podcasts, audio and video. Originally from Jersey City, Kevin lived in Kearny until 2004, lived in Port St. Lucie. Florida, for four years until February 2016 and in March of that year, he moved back to Kearny to return to The Observer full time. Click Here to send Kevin an email.