Delanco residents and officials spar over waterfront parking rules and permit hours

Delanco residents and township officials spent the bulk of the June 29 meeting debating whether to change permit parking rules that limit street parking along sections of Delaware Avenue, Orchard and nearby streets near Hawk Island and the town waterfront.

Residents who live near the river described difficulty hosting guests and inconveniences for older and less mobile residents if they must park a block or more away. “Before the parking permits and restricted hours, I did not feel safe living here,” said Donna Morris of 101 Vine Street, who told the committee she and her husband have found trash, trespass and threatening behavior near their property on summer weekends. Other residents, including Mike Stinganger of 410 Orchard Avenue, proposed a small gravel lot in the woods for 10 cars to keep visitors from parking on residential streets.

Township officials and the police chief framed the ordinance as a tool to manage nuisance behavior and to prioritize residents closest to the waterfront. Police said they proactively enforce hours and can direct vehicles to move, but acknowledged some calls to dispatch result in non‑contact responses if callers request anonymity. The chief described standard dispatch procedures and said officers will make on‑scene determinations.

Arguments at the meeting cut between two practical tradeoffs: easing restrictions to restore convenient access to the riverfront for regular day users (seniors, walkers, kayakers) and maintaining limits that residents said reduced overnight noise, litter and trespass. Mary Wood, who lives on Delaware Avenue, said the park brings noise and additional traffic and asked the committee to preserve existing quiet hours for nearby homeowners. Gary Cooper and other residents countered that earlier parking makes the waterfront usable for morning walkers and older residents who cannot walk long distances from remote parking.

Mayor and committee members said they have received constituent calls on both sides of the issue and that their decisions must balance public access and neighborhood livability. No ordinance changes were adopted June 29; the committee left the parking item on the agenda for discussion at the July 13 meeting and asked staff for call‑log documentation and other supporting records.

The committee also noted the park itself is governed by park hours (sunrise–sunset) and that any change to parking rules would not alter noise ordinances, which remain enforceable. Police and staff agreed to supply the committee with recorded calls and incident summaries before the next public discussion.

The committee's continued review means no changes to restricted parking are effective yet; residents who wish to be heard on the point were urged to attend the July 13 meeting.