Hillsdale student parking plan leaves current access unresolved

Hillsdale council members unanimously agreed on Oct. 6, 2026, to restrict Pascack Valley High School student parking on Liberty Avenue, notify the school and install signs, according to a Pascack Press & Northern Valley Press report. The report, published Oct. 16, says Borough Administrator Michael Ghassali told the council on Oct. 13 that students could park without fees at Stonybrook Swim Club, but could lose that privilege for misbehavior or abuse.

The report does not give an effective date for either the Liberty Avenue restriction or the Stonybrook arrangement. It also does not state how many spaces are available, so the reported alternative should not be read as a guarantee of a spot.

Older permit information does not settle current access i

The Borough’s student-parking information linked from its Stonybrook page is headed “Parking for the 2024-2025 School Year.” It says students in grades 11 and 12 historically parked there, describes permits issued case by case and lists a $50 annual fee. Its registration instructions refer to a 2025-2026 permit. Those older terms differ from the fee-free arrangement Ghassali reportedly described in October 2026, but do not establish the terms for the 2026-27 school year.

The report attributes an estimate of at least 25 students parking on Liberty Avenue to resident Lorraine Thalmann, not to an official count. Thalmann said students walking between parked cars faced hazardous conditions and that congestion made crossing difficult. The report also says Mayor Michael Sheinfield sought assurances against damage before reopening Stonybrook, officials discussed additional monitoring, including a possible camera, and Sheinfield questioned why students were not using spaces near Beechwood Park. Parents also use the Stonybrook lot for afternoon pickup at Meadowbrook Elementary School, according to the report.

Students and families seeking to use Stonybrook should not assume the fee-free arrangement is currently in effect or that a space is assured: the reported agreement has no stated start date, and the Borough’s listed permit details concern earlier school years. The Borough identifies Stonybrook Swim Club at 183 Cedar Lane in Hillsdale.