If you’ve ventured out to White Oak on a Saturday night lately, you know parking has gotten pretty difficult. The owner of the decrepit car hangar between Christian’s Tailgate and Tacos A Go Go plans to change all that with a parking garage. Problem solved!
Parking Proposal
The proposed parking structure will fit an incredible 244 spaces in the lot that currently accommodates a mere 20 spots today. How? Automation! Easy Park, the developer in talks with the owner of the lot, specializes in automated parking garages, with locations in New York, Philadelphia, Vancouver, Washington D.C., and Mexico City.
How it Works
Video provided by Swamplot
The robo-valet concept is becoming increasingly popular in densely populated cities across the U.S. and Europe. Drivers simply pull into a lift and get out of the car, and an elevator moves the car to a numbered spot for safe storage. There’s no need for ramps for drivers to circle around looking for a space, or extra room for maneuvering into a tight spot. By using every inch of the garage for parking, you can fit a lot more cars into a lot less space.
As an added bonus, security would be better than your typical parking garage or lot, because no people would be able to get inside the garage and break into parked vehicles.
While opponents of the project argue that a parking garage of this size would look out of place in a neighborhood where almost nothing tops three stories, it wouldn’t be as big as you’re probably picturing. The floors of the garage wouldn’t have to be as tall as a floor of a regular building, just tall enough to barely fit a car, with a designated taller floor for large vehicles. Easy Park’s other developments are smaller than and less obtrusive than one would expect. It’s amazing how little space it actually takes to fit a few hundred cars, when there’s no wasted space.
Stay Updated
There’s still a long process ahead to get approval and begin construction, so don’t expect your White Oak parking woes to be gone overnight. As with any big change, you can expect a lot of pushback from Heights residents who want to keep things as they are. There are certainly benefits and drawbacks to the idea of an automated parking garage. We’ll be following the story and provide new information as it becomes available. Whatever happens, it’s sure to be an interesting process!