Haddonfield businesses feeling impacts of new pay-to-park systems
HADDONFIELD, N.J. (CBS) -- Free parking hours have scaled back in Haddonfield and drivers can no longer park for free on Saturdays.
Those changes went into effect two months ago and some businesses have said they're feeling the impacts.
"I think the businesses are going to suffer, I know the restaurants are suffering," Tony Conte said.
Concern is growing for some businesses on the normally busy shopping corridor in historic downtown Haddonfield.
"I've seen the bottom line go down for the first time since the housing crash in 2007; that's a long time," Conte said.
The owner of Conte's Card Castle credits a recent drop in sales to the borough eliminating free parking on Saturdays back in September to generate new revenue.
Drivers also have to now pay to park until 8 p.m. on weeknights through a new parking app.
"At the end of the day, is it generating enough to validate this frustration in the residents? That's for them to decide," Christian MacHenry said.
The editor of Haddonfield Today, a free magazine that highlights events in the borough, recently conducted a 200-person parking survey.
According to the responses -- since pay-to-park on Saturdays was introduced -- 56% of people surveyed said they have chosen to shop elsewhere and 30% said they still might.
"The weekends we generate a lot of revenue," MacHenry said.
Some restaurants are now offering to pay for customers parking if they purchase a $100 gift card.
And some businesses also signed a new petition on Wednesday asking the commissioners to restore free parking on Saturdays after the holidays.
"I think those of us that have been around a little longer, we can absorb the lack of customers coming in but there is only so long you can sustain that," Conte said.
The borough told CBS News Philadelphia Haddonfield did not initiate the survey and has no comment at this time.
But the borough is reminding everyone the tradition of free parking for holiday shopping, from Thanksgiving to New Year's Eve, will continue this year.
