Broad Avenue's Meters Stop at 6 PM for Now. Here's What Changes This Fall in Palisades Park.

At the June 23 council meeting, Councilman Shin raised a problem anyone who has parked on Broad Avenue after dinner has likely run into. The kiosks were still lit and taking input after 6:00 PM, even though enforcement had been suspended for the evening. Police Director Garner explained that the solar-powered kiosks stay on so they can keep their systems and software updated. Councilman Shin asked for laminated notices on the kiosks in English, Korean and Spanish saying parking is free after 6:00 PM.

So a lit screen and a free space can sit on the same curb. That mix-up comes from a deliberate borough policy: Palisades Park has been using its meter hours to draw people onto Broad Avenue in the evening. Right now three things about parking there are changing at once. One is the free evening hours, which are officially set to expire today, September 30. Another is a new way to pay. The third is a new lot off Broad Avenue that held its opening ceremony last week.

A trial built for the evening crowd

The borough's homepage describes the program plainly. Meters used to go free at 10:00 PM. Under the trial, they go free at 6:00 PM, Monday through Saturday. The borough says it made the change "to support residents, visitors, and local businesses during a challenging economic period and to encourage activity along Broad Avenue and nearby commercial areas."

The Korea Times reports the trial has been running since March. The council took it up again in June: Resolution 2026-171, "Extending Temporary Suspension of Parking Meter Zones Payment Requirements," was on the June 16 work-session agenda. It was then part of the consent-agenda resolutions voted on June 23. The homepage now says the Borough Council "approved extending this program through September 30."

Policies to boost a business district usually cut costs or add events. Palisades Park picked the cheapest change a driver feels: three or four hours of free curb time each evening, timed for dinner, dessert and everything after.

Today is the date printed on the notice

Whether the free evenings continue into October depends on which source you check, and they don't yet match.

The Korea Times report says the extension "is reported" to be planned, not that it has passed. The borough's own notice still shows today as the end date. Until the borough posts an update, the safest choice on any weeknight or Saturday evening in October is to check the sticker on the kiosk before you leave the car. The trilingual notices Councilman Shin asked for in June were meant for exactly this.

Paying before 6 works differently in 2026

The daytime rules matter too, because the payment system changed this year. The borough's "New 2026" payment guide lists these options:

1. Quarters at the meter.
2. Inserting a credit card at the meter.
3. Tapping a credit card at the meter.
4. Tap-to-pay with a phone at the meter.
5. Scanning the QR code on the meter, which opens the borough's payment website.
6. Texting EZPARKPP to 44989 to get a payment link.

The guide says there is "no mobile app available to download" right now. It also says the borough is working on integration with ParkMobile, which is "coming soon."

The borough's older parking FAQ still points drivers to the ParkSmarter app. That's why searching for the old app gets you nowhere. The older FAQ lists coin pricing of $0.25 per 30 minutes and paid hours of 10 AM to 9 PM. The borough's published code gives a different rate of $0.25 per 15 minutes. Since the two borough sources don't agree, the price shown on the kiosk screen is the one to go by.

Eighteen new spaces at 12 Bellevue Place

The meter change gives evening visitors free time. The new lot adds more spaces. According to the Korea Times, the borough held an opening ceremony on September 25 for a public lot at 12 Bellevue Place, which connects to Broad Avenue. The lot holds 18 vehicles and has EV charging. Translated from the Korean, Mayor Paul Kim said the lot was built to give more parking to residents and to customers visiting the Broad Avenue business district.

One detail from the July 28 council minutes affects anyone parking there. The lot's new pay kiosk was planned for the Broad Avenue corner, not inside the lot. The borough said that was a safety decision, because the lot is too narrow for an interior kiosk without turning cars risking hitting it. Signs pointing to the kiosk were planned. The same minutes say Bellevue Place is due for paving next spring with CDBG funds, and the plan includes adding on-street metered spaces on that block.

In July, Councilman Shin said the borough runs four public lots along Broad Avenue and that new public parking signs were coming to two locations. The borough's FAQ names two paid lots. One is the Henry Lot next to 220 Broad Avenue, across from Henry Avenue. The other is the lot across from 1 West Palisades Boulevard behind Anthony's Pharmacy, where the spaces signed for Anthony's Pharmacy customers are excluded.

The free evening hours line up with Broad Avenue's late-night openings

The free evening hours matter most for the businesses that opened on Broad Avenue this year, because several of them stay open well past dinner.

Crazy Pocha, 42 Broad Avenue, 2nd floor. This Korean pocha-style bar held its grand-opening celebration starting March 24, with opening-week specials through March 31. The owner has 12 to 13 years of restaurant experience. The concept is built around Korean food, K-pop and late nights, and the owners describe the pricing as intentionally affordable. By early April, Boozy Burbs reported it was open seven days a week until 2 AM.

Cafe SSUM & Karaoke, 450 Broad Avenue. It was reported open in mid-August. The cafe serves coffee, desserts and Korean snacks, and there are private karaoke rooms you can reserve. Food and drinks can come into the rooms. It's open seven days a week, and its website has details.

Lee & Bai Buns, 442 Broad Avenue. It's from the team behind Lee's Hawaiian Islander and opened by late May. The menu is Taiwanese fast-casual: steamed bao with pork belly, fried chicken or beef, plus soup dumplings, potstickers, noodles and rice dishes. The space is set up for takeout.

A two-hour karaoke booking that starts at 7 PM at 450 Broad Avenue costs nothing in parking while the trial is running. Without the trial, the same visit would run on the meter until closing time.

October's free events at 275 Broad Avenue

The borough's fall calendar is based at the Municipal Building, so the parking details above also apply to these events. All three are free.

• Palisades Park Street Festival, Saturday, October 3, 11 AM to 6 PM. It has street and food vendors, face painting, live music, a bounce house and carnival games.
• Fall Concert with the Summer Breeze Band, rescheduled to Saturday, October 17, 2 to 3:30 PM, after weather postponed it on 9/26.
• Fall Community Cleanup, run by the Palisades Park Clean Communities Program, Saturday, October 24, 9:45 AM to noon, in front of Borough Hall. Gloves and bags are provided, bagels, juice, hot chocolate and coffee are served, and students can earn community service hours.

All three are on Saturdays, and the festival and concert fall entirely within daytime metered hours. The festival ends at 6 PM, which is when the meters go free if the trial continues. If you stay for dinner on Broad Avenue that night, your parking costs could come down to that one kiosk sticker.

If you're weighing how Broad Avenue's evenings, parking and new businesses affect a home in Palisades Park, whether you live here now or plan to, Sara Shin Select follows these council decisions as closely as the sales data. Let's connect.