The heavily used Center Street municipal parking lot that serves patrons of businesses and professional offices in Northampton’s uptown district will now be monitored more closely by police following an action passed Nov. 2 by borough council.

“Police Chief Bryan Kadingo and I have discussed the concern of the uptown business owners and recommended posting one row of parking spaces between Lilac Court and the southern end of the Dollar General Store as two-hour parking,” Borough Manager LeRoy Brobst told council.

The concern was that businesses were affected when their customers or clients found the lot filled with vehicles from nearby apartments parked for extended hours, sometimes for days. Residents of the apartments park at the expense of people potentially doing business at the shops and offices on Center and West 21st streets, Brobst added.

Earlier ideas for the lot, which has space for more than 100 vehicles, was to have parking meters installed or have the tires marked by police to determine the time a vehicle was parked in the lot before given a ticket. None of those ideas gained traction.

Councilman Anthony Lopsonzski Sr. raised the problem at past council meetings, stating that businesses could leave town if the matter is not addressed.

The Center Street municipal lot, which had been lined recently, also serves patrons of businesses on Main Street as well as those on Center and West 21st streets.

The lot has been landscaped and Victorian lamp posts were erected several years ago.

In other business, council approved a sewer extension agreement with Allen Township on the recommendation of Brobst.

“Solicitor Steven Goudsouzian has signed agreements with Allen Township on a limited sewer agreement extension. The documents have been executed by the proper Allen Township official and will need to be signed by our president,” Brobst said.

The borough will be looking to fill a vacant part-time police officer spot after council approved the resignation of Mark Nicosia, who has taken a full-time position in another municipality.