Rahway Neighbors Fight for Fair Parking in the Arts District
Tenants of The Willows at Rahway demand better access to parking near their homes.
Monday, August 18, 2025
- Tenants of The Willows at Rahway say there aren’t enough parking spaces.
- Families and veterans report safety concerns when walking home at night.
- Overflow parking at Hamilton Stage is risky due to flooding along the Rahway River.
- Two-hour limits near The Willows add pressure for residents and visitors.
- Neighbors are demanding fair, safer parking solutions in the Arts District.
The neighbors formed a tight-knit group in the back corner of the room. August city council meetings are often quiet, but this group came to make sure this one was different.
They all live at The Willows at Rahway, a 58-unit building with fewer than 40 parking spots for residents.
They say the lack of attention to a persistent parking shortage pushed them to organize, petition city leaders, and demand safer options near their homes.
The Willows opened in 2018 as affordable housing for artists and veterans. It sits on Central Avenue at the heart of the Arts District.
The Union County Performing Arts Center is at the corner, and Hamilton Stage is around the block.
On many nights, tenants say event traffic fills nearby options. Street parking directly in front of the building is limited to two hours, and residents report getting ticketed when they overstay.
This month, a group of tenants brought a petition with 39 signatures to City Hall.
One by one, they stepped to the microphone and described long walks from distant parking spots, safety worries at night, and added burdens on neighbors with disabilities or home health aides who cannot legally park long enough to do their jobs.
Amanda Mikulewicz told officials she feels unsafe walking to her car when she leaves for work at five o’clock in the morning.
“It’s pitch black back there. It’s not safe for somebody young, or a mother, anybody who has kids,” Mikulewicz said.
She also looks after her parents, which often brings her home after midnight. By then, the building lot and the spaces along Central Avenue are full, she said.
In a notice posted to tenants, the Rahway Division of Parking said it would begin enforcing parking limits on Central Avenue as of August 1.
The notice said Willows tenants may purchase parking permits for the Hamilton Stage lot at $60 per month.
Some tenants say those permits still leave them walking several blocks late at night.
Residents expressed fear about walking down dark blocks to get home at night. (The Central Jerseyan)
During events, when the Hamilton Stage lot is full, tenants said they are forced to use the deck next to the train station on the other side of downtown.
Afraid to make the half-mile walk alone late at night, Mikulewicz said there were times she chose to wait for an opening.
“I’ve sat in my car double-parked for three hours, crying, waiting for a spot to open.”
Some tenants said they would like to relocate, but the rent in the area is too high to move to a market-rate apartment.
“It’s gotten to the point where I don’t want to live here anymore,” Mikulewicz said, “but there’s nowhere else to go.”
For Roy Cook, a resident who is visually impaired and uses a mobility cane, the shortage affects him even though he does not drive.
A hereditary disease called retinitis pigmentosa is causing him to gradually lose his eyesight.
He said his home health aide visits for several hours and has been ticketed for parking in front of the building beyond the two-hour limit.
“I was kind of curious and surprised, because when I first moved in and when my home health aide was coming in, there were no tickets given,” Cook told officials.
He asked the city council when the decision was made to start ticketing in front of the building, but received no response.
Some tenants criticized the idea of paid permits as an added burden rather than a fair solution.
Karen Pacek said tenants who already have permits are told during concerts to park somewhere else. She also raised flooding concerns. The Hamilton lot sits along the Rahway River.
Pacek suggested the city offer permits for other streets within the Arts District.
The Hamilton Stage parking lot is located along the Rahway River. Signs warning of flooding during heavy rain dot the landscape. (The Central Jerseyan)
Fifth Ward Councilwoman Danni Newbury told residents there is not enough parking because The Willows’ owners were granted an exception under the assumption that many tenants in the affordable units would not have cars.
“The goal here is to move forward and in a way that benefits the city as a whole, but also especially our residents who live over in that apartment complex,” Newbury said.
Officials told residents at the meeting that the city plans to designate at least 19 spaces in front of the building on Central Avenue for Willows tenants.
The goal is to provide one free space for each unit. Residents in units with more than one car would still need to buy a permit, the officials said.
Some residents said they were skeptical due to past promises.
Parking is restricted to two hours during the day in front of The Willows at Rahway. (The Central Jerseyan)
Lee Harris, a disabled veteran who uses a wheelchair, said he was promised a fully furnished unit.
“I got a couch and a TV,” he said. He added that he could not use the TV at first because there was no cable or internet.
Harris also said he cannot use his stove because it is not wheelchair accessible.
The Willows highlights a wider tension in the Arts District. The neighborhood attracts crowds for shows, but residents say it lacks protected, resident-friendly parking.
Brandon and Sharon Smith-Simons own a home on Central Avenue, near The Willows. They both have cars but no driveway.
The couple also asked the city council for designated parking in front of their home.
As tenants continue to organize, they say they want a plan that puts the people who live there first.