Developer or Land Owner Consider an Automated Vehicle Storage System? By Franklyn E. DeFoe When Should a From a land owner’s perspective with more than 40 years of developing urban renewal mixed-use, office and condo projects, parking has always been at the bottom of my motivational list—a requirement to resolve, but not nearly as much fun as creating forward-thinking office environments and lifestyle-changing living spaces! However, parking automation is ‘coming of age,’ and astute developers and land owners are seriously analyzing Automated Vehicle Storage Systems (AVSS) to resolve their parking problems. According to Don Monahan, P.E., vice president of Walker Parking Consultants, nine AVSS are operational in the U.S.; six more are under construction, with many more in the planning stages. This momentous land planning shift moves parking—traditionally a huge negative to the developer—into a major positive factor that will increase the land owner’s bottom line. 40 National Parking Association Parking April 2010