As part of an overall plan to renovate the Woodland Road parking lot on the site of the former Woman’s Club, Maplewood Township will connect the lot to an adjacent parking lot on Highland Place, a move that will net eight extra parking spaces and improve overall traffic flow in the Village.
The Township Committee voted 3-0 Tuesday night to direct township engineer Thomas Malavasi to seek bids for the project. (Mayor Vic DeLuca and committee woman India Larrier were absent).
However, said township committeeman Jerry Ryan, the planning and engineering committee recommended against proceeding with part of the plan that would have razed a small wooded section behind the building. That plan, which would have garnered an additional 25-30 new spaces, was deemed not cost effective and had met with resistance from neighbors on Woodland Road.
The revised plan addresses neighbors’ concerns while enabling the township to improve and enhance the lot and the overall parking and traffic flow in the Village, said Ryan.
The renovation will bring the total number of parking spaces in the Woodland lot to 59. The lot will be resurfaced and restriped, and the entrance on Woodland Road will be slightly enlarged to provide easier access into and out of the lot, Ryan said. (See the full plan here.)
By creating a “small opening” between two lots, drivers can move between the two and enter or exit from either Woodland Road or Highland Place. Ryan said because the connection was small, the committee did not envision speeding problems but would recommend traffic calming measures such as speed bumps if they are deemed necessary.
“Thank you for not paving the Woman’s Club lot,” said Kurt Kiley, speaking to the committee members during the public comment portion of the meeting. Kiley did ask about several trees that he believed were still slated to be removed; Deputy Mayor Kathleen Leventhal said the township would clarify that with Malavasi.
See the memo from Jerry Ryan to the Township Committee here.
