5 ms·

We aren’t talking multi-level though we are talking about an actual flat parking lot in the middle of a downtown core which is what speculators do and have done

by TimPC 4y ago

We aren’t talking multi-level though we are talking about an actual flat parking lot in the middle of a downtown core which is what speculators do and have done in my city while they wait to sell expensive land.

Retric 4y ago
To be more clear. Depending on the location, those flat parking lots can be pulling in 1+ million per year in profit. That doesn’t mean building a multi level parking garage in that same space is actually a good investment because demand isn’t unlimited. What you see as wasted space can therefore actually be a highly efficient business.
- dntrkv 4y ago
  And if you built even a conservative 5 story building, it would generate significantly more value.
  - Retric 4y ago
    Value possibly, profit not necessarily. Put another way if building a 5 story building would be obviously more profitable then they would do that but the opportunity costs is now 1+ million per year you aren’t getting from the parking business.
    - TimPC 4y ago
      Not clear. Plenty of people will forgo selling land to a developer who wants to build a five story building in order to wait for the premium that comes from the developer who wants to build a 50 story building.
- TimPC 4y ago
  The business has maybe 30 spaces at $20/day. If we assume some people use hourly rates but most use daily lets say each parking space makes $25/day for $750/day. That works out to $273,750 before expenses. To get $1 million you’d need over 100 spaces which is quite a massive plot of land for the downtown core of a city.
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
  - Retric 4y ago
    ~115 parking spaces can fit on a normal 1-acre paved, marked parking lot. You can double that when cars park in long rows at the cost of having attendants. You can unquestionably have smaller lots, but it’s hardly a massive plot of land.
    - TimPC 4y ago
      1-acre is pretty massive for a plot of land in the downtown core of the city. It can fit an entire apartment complex. The sale value is extremely high so the $1 million in revenue isn’t that attractive given the cost of holding the land.
      - Retric 4y ago
        I mean there’s a reason we build buildings, that’s hardly in doubt. The point was simply that even seemingly undeveloped land in or near the urban core can be generating a respectable income stream and then after N years the land has also appreciated. This is especially appealing in the event of a presumably short term glut of residential and or commercial properties/zoning issues. Also, an acre with parking attendants doubles the number of cars so they could be clearing close to 2 million before expenses, and attendants aren’t that expensive.

by TimPC 4y ago

Retric 4y ago

To be more clear. Depending on the location, those flat parking lots can be pulling in 1+ million per year in profit. That doesn’t mean building a multi level parking garage in that same space is actually a good investment because demand isn’t unlimited. What you see as wasted space can therefore actually be a highly efficient business.

dntrkv 4y ago
And if you built even a conservative 5 story building, it would generate significantly more value.
- Retric 4y ago
  Value possibly, profit not necessarily. Put another way if building a 5 story building would be obviously more profitable then they would do that but the opportunity costs is now 1+ million per year you aren’t getting from the parking business.
  - TimPC 4y ago
    Not clear. Plenty of people will forgo selling land to a developer who wants to build a five story building in order to wait for the premium that comes from the developer who wants to build a 50 story building.
TimPC 4y ago
The business has maybe 30 spaces at $20/day. If we assume some people use hourly rates but most use daily lets say each parking space makes $25/day for $750/day. That works out to $273,750 before expenses. To get $1 million you’d need over 100 spaces which is quite a massive plot of land for the downtown core of a city.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- Retric 4y ago
  ~115 parking spaces can fit on a normal 1-acre paved, marked parking lot. You can double that when cars park in long rows at the cost of having attendants. You can unquestionably have smaller lots, but it’s hardly a massive plot of land.
  - TimPC 4y ago
    1-acre is pretty massive for a plot of land in the downtown core of the city. It can fit an entire apartment complex. The sale value is extremely high so the $1 million in revenue isn’t that attractive given the cost of holding the land.
    - Retric 4y ago
      I mean there’s a reason we build buildings, that’s hardly in doubt. The point was simply that even seemingly undeveloped land in or near the urban core can be generating a respectable income stream and then after N years the land has also appreciated. This is especially appealing in the event of a presumably short term glut of residential and or commercial properties/zoning issues. Also, an acre with parking attendants doubles the number of cars so they could be clearing close to 2 million before expenses, and attendants aren’t that expensive.