Belmar doubles parking fees along ocean

It will cost more to park along the ocean in a popular Jersey shore town.

Belmar’s council has voted to double the price of 320 parking meters on Ocean Avenue to $2 an hour. That means a visitor could pay as much as $8 a day.

Parking on the west side of the street will remain free.

Mayor Matt Doherty tells the Asbury Park Press the town has been exploring ways to raise revenue to help pay down debt and to fund capital improvements.

Borough Administrator Colleen Connolly says the meters will generate close to $400,000. Sixty percent of the cash will go to the parking utility and 40 percent will be used for the beach.