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2/19/08
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Wellesley, MA – Parking continues to be a major obstacle for municipal planners and private developers in rapid growth areas. Both, pushed to the limit in terms of time and capital, tend to resort to traditional, stand-by solutions that ultimately cost more in the long run – to their company, their patrons and their community. But, new and more progressive parking programming and solutions are available: leased temporary movable parking structures and automated parking facilities.
“Meeting immediate parking demands for many facilities can be a paralyzing dilemma in terms of financial planning and infrastructure issues,” said Alan Simon, President of Simon Design Engineering, a provider of permanent and temporary progressive parking solutions based in Wellesley, MA. “Because of its immediacy, rapid growth does not wait for the ideal fiscal and site planning course, so planners and developers are caught between their responsibilities to the patrons, their bottom-line, land management, as well as funding and oversight.”
But the fact remains that customer convenience and employee access are crucial to an organization’s ability to function effectively and profitably.
Free standing permanent parking garages built on site have long been the standing solution. However, as land becomes less available, environmental issues escalate, costs associated with full-time employees rise, and the difficulty raising capital for these programs increases, this solution becomes less attractive. In addition, there is a considerable amount of time and effort required for local approval, design, development, funding and construction.
While valet and remote parking have a place in parking expansion, they have limited ability to increase capacity, are operationally expensive, require cultural adjustment and don’t work well during peak loading times. Automatic parking lifts also serve as a solution but have inherent limitations as well, including overhead clearance, temperature (hydraulics are less effective in colder climates), licensing, labor and maintenance programs.
Temporary movable parking facilities are a new and practical solution where development and parking issues require a short term solution in the 5 to 10 year range. Current material technologies allow these types of facilities to be built according to permanent code requirements and are comparable to long-term facilities in both appearance and cost. New temporary movable parking facilities can be constructed on small footprints within 6 to 8 months of signing lease agreements.
Tight capital lending markets and limited capital can drive owners to seek a leased temporary solution with all revenue collection and operational oversight being managed by the holder of the lease. Leasing a facility for 5 to 10 years eliminates the customary initial capital outlay typically required by the owner to design and build a permanent facility that may not be the best use of land either in the short- or long-terms. They can also be a viable alternative for most long-term parking situations where the client can justify the premium of leasing facilities based on the payback return for the short-term convenience to patrons and maximization of land and facilities use. The solution is ideal for non-profit, institutional and public parking providers which can retain the inherent tax advantages of lease payments.
At the end of the lease, a temporary leased structure can be made permanent if desired. The structure can be moved to another location as the permanent solution or elements can be integrated into a new parking structure.
Automated parking is the new kid on the block and has finally made its way into the menu of options that owners and planners should consider in evaluating their optimal parking solutions. The technology is based on the automated retrieval of vehicles from a series of transfer stations and robotically controlled lift systems. These systems require no human intervention from the point of driver entry to driver retrieval with transfer times ranging from thirty seconds to two minutes depending on the equipment configuration. Though the initial cost of these facilities is about two times the cost of conventional freestanding facilities, it is offset by the benefit of less land investment, increased capacity, and less labor costs.
The new alternatives to the traditional parking solutions can provide far more flexibility for the planner and developer. The temporary moveable parking facility provides a 5 to 10 year solution while other considerations are examined or come to fruition, offers tax advantages, decreases initial capital expenditure, can be a profit center, and can be made permanent or integrated into a permanent structure. Automated parking provides many advantages as well; less land requirements, increased capacity, less labor costs and more convenience to the consumer.
About Simon Design Engineering, LLC
Simon Design Engineering, a Professional Engineering Design Services organization, provides the latest client focused concepts and solutions to Owners, Developers, Public Agencies, Architects and Builders throughout the U.S. In addition to traditional design services, the group specializes in planning and design of all types of parking concepts including automated parking facilities, free-standing parking facilities, integral mixed use parking facilities, underground parking facilities and temporary movable parking facilities. For more information about Simon Design’s Temporary and Moveable Parking garages, call (781) 237-2226 or visit http://www.sde-us.com.
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