PROTECTMILLBURN.ORG
sponsored by the Glen Avenue Association
We are a group of concerned
homeowners dedicated to preservation
of quality of life in Millburn
Township for more than 17 years.
We are concerned about proposals to
build a parking garage in the midst
of the Glen Avenue residential
area in Lot 7.
A PARKING GARAGE IN THE MIDST OF THE GLEN AVENUE RESIDENTIAL AREA COULD HAVE A DEVASTATING EFFECT ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE & IMPERIL THE LIVES AND SAFETY OF OUR FAMILIES AND CHILDREN
A parking garage in Lot 7 would pose a significant safety risk to Glen Avenue/Wyoming families and children. A garage’s dark concealed spaces could serve as a magnet bringing crime, drugs and other wrongdoing into our residential neighborhood. Also these documented crime problems are but a short train ride away and could easily be brought into our community through a garage with possibly devastating consequences.
This will pose a significant safety risk to our families, and children both at play and while walking to and from the Millburn Middle School and High School.
TRAFFIC CONDITIONS ON GLEN AVENUE ARE ALREADY INTOLERABLE.
Indeed a March 2010 Millburn
Police Department survey revealed over 10,000 cars each day
use Glen Avenue at the Library. Construction of a parking garage
will likely make matters even worse further harming the quality of
life in this residential area with blarring horns, squealing tires
and pollution. The cars filling the garage would not be dropped out
of the sky. Rather they would be clogging the entire length of Glen
Avenue and beyond and harming everyone; not simply those near Lot 7.
Also this terrible added traffic congestion on Glen Avenue could interfere with the important work of the First Aid Squad. This could yield tragic results (and possible Township liability) if the First Aid Squad was prevented by this traffic from responding to a critical emergency.
THERE IS NO NEED FOR MORE COMMUTER PARKING IN MILLBURN.
The demand for commuter parking is in Short Hills not in Millburn. More than 76% of the commuter parking permits are held by Short Hills residents. Then why is a garage considered only in Miliburn when the demand is in Short Hills ? By not increasing parking in Short Hills where the demand is, the Township Committee is forcing Short Hills residents to travel across Town to park, increasing the length and expense of their commute while further clogging our already overburdened streets with additional traffic.
CONSTRUCTION OF A PARKING GARAGE WILL COST MANY MILLIONS OF DOLLARS, WHICH WE SURELY CANNOT AFFORD AT THIS TIME.
This is in addition to the countless additional dollars required for maintenance, repair, insurance and security for such structure.
Moreover, one assault or rape in a parking garage could expose our Township to millions of dollars of liability.
NOR IS THERE ANY NEED FOR INCURRING THIS EXPENSE. NJ
Transit ridership has been dropping and will likely fall further with the big fare increases and surface cutbacks being imposed.
Also the existing Valet
Parking System is working well and any increased need can be met
with the nearly 600 low-cost and no cost surface options
previously presented to the Township Committee. 
A PARKING GARAGE WOULD ALSO BE VIOLATIVE OF OUR TOWNSHIP MASTERPLAN BY HARMING THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN OUR RESIDENTIAL AREA AND THE CHARACTER OF OUR ESTABLISHED GLEN AVENUE/ WYOMING AREA.
OPPOSITION TO A PARKING GARAGE IN A RESIDENTIAL AREA IS WIDESPREAD. INDEED THE LAST TIME A GARAGE WAS PROPOSED IN LOT 7, OVER 800 TOWNSHIP RESIDENTS SIGNED A PETITION OPPOSING IT.
protectmillburn.org