500-Space Parking Facility Planned for South Mountain Recreation Complex

A new 500-space parking garage will be constructed at the Essex County South Mountain Recreation Complex in West Orange.

The facility will provide additional on-site parking for visitors coming to the complex and will alleviate the amount of cars that are parking in neighboring lots, in the nearby Essex County South Mountain Reservation and on the street.

“With Turtle Back Zoo as our anchor and new attractions like the paddle boating and 1.7-mile walking path at the Orange Reservoir, our Essex County South Mountain Recreation Complex has become a regional destination for people seeking leisure, recreation and educational activities. This popularity has outpaced the amount of available on-site parking,” Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo said Tuesday in announcing the project.

"The construction of this 500-space facility will enhance our visitors’ experience, provide more accessible parking and alleviate the burden being placed on our reservation and the surrounding neighborhoods where our visitors are parking."

DiVincenzo asked visitors to be patient while the new facility is constructed.

"Building this parking structure is a massive undertaking that will create disruptions and worsen a parking situation that is already bad," he said. "We ask for the public’s understanding and patience while we work to improve our parking accommodations."

With some of the foundation footings already completed, the idea of having additional on-site parking was welcomed by local officials and parks personnel.

“The transformation of this corner of Essex County is a major accomplishment for our County Executive and there is no question that additional parking spaces are needed,” Assemblywoman Sheila Oliver said. “What we will have is an architecturally pleasing facility that fills a great need."

Essex County Turtle Back Zoo Director Brint Spencer said attendance at the zoo continues to surpass record numbers. The number of visitors this year is already up 43,000 and attendance for July is up by 65 percent. 

“Our programs are expanding rapidly. We had one education building and last week we opened our second. We had one parking deck and today we are starting to build our second. The parking facility is definitely needed,” he noted.

The new five-story facility will accommodate approximately 500 cars and be located in the surface parking lot between Turtle Back Zoo and Codey Arena. There will be stairwell and elevator access close to the Zoo and arena for visitors who park in the new garage. To enhance traffic control on Northfield Avenue, a traffic signal will be installed at the western end of Codey Arena.

“My compliments to Joe DiVincenzo for what’s been done to turn Turtle Back Zoo around and enhance the attractions offered at this complex. Parking here will be much more convenient when this facility is completed,” Freeholder Leonard Luciano said.

The popularity of the attractions at the Essex County South Mountain Recreation Complex has outpaced its parking needs. Turtle Back Zoo welcomed an all-time record 621,828 visitors in 2013 and through July 7th has welcomed 322,938. Codey Arena had about 400,000 in attendance in 2013. The miniGOLF Safari recorded 40,747 rounds in 2013 and has recorded 14,155 through July 7. At the start of its first full, the paddle boating on the Orange Reservoir has seen 5,113 people take to the water. In addition, McLoone’s Boathouse Restaurant and the new walkway around the Orange Reservoir also have been magnets for people attracted to the complex.

As the attractions in the South Mountain Recreation Complex have become more popular, available parking has become insufficient. The complex currently includes the surface parking lot in front of Turtle Back Zoo that includes about 400 spaces, the Park N Ride facility that opened in 2004 that has 477 spaces, the surface parking lot by the miniGOLF Safari and McLoone’s Boathouse Restaurant that has about 300 spaces and the Oakdale Parking Lot located across the street from the Clipper Picnic Pavilion and Paddle Boat Dock that has about 50 spaces. 

When the number of visitors at the complex soars, cars are directed to park in nearby business parking lots, on the grass archery field off of Cherry Lane in South Mountain Reservation and on local streets around the zoo.

“This is another quality of life facility that will make residents and visitors who come here happy,” West Orange Councilman Jerry Guarino said. “We are grateful to the County Executive for the amount of development he has made here at the complex because it is in our hometown of West Orange and helps us with the development of our retail base."

Greg Comito and Associates from Newark were awarded a $388,000 contract to design the parking facility. Terminal Construction from Wood-Ridge was awarded a publicly bid contract for $11,642,000 to construct the parking facility. The Essex County Department of Public Works will monitor the project and answer questions to ensure delays are avoided. The project is being funded through the Essex County Capital Budget. It is scheduled to be completed in the spring of 2015.

“It’s a great feeling to see all the people who come here. I am truly amazed at what has happened here because of the vision of Joe DiVincenzo,” Sheriff Armando Fontoura said. “For the next several months while construction is occurring it will be a challenge, but our officers are up to the challenge. It’s worth it."