Automated Parking Garages Making Inroads In U.S.

"Common across Europe and Asia, fully-automated parking garages are beginning to appear in U.S. cities. These garages require less space than conventional garages, and are proving alluring to developers who must balance high real-estate costs with dense parking needs.

Currently in the U.S., there are only three fully-automated garages: The first, built in Hoboken, N.J. in 2002; a residential garage in Washington, D.C.; and another in New York City's Chinatown which opened in February. The Chinatown garage, by AutoMotion Parking Systems, is attached to luxury condominiums, but is also open to the public.

A spate of multimillion dollar parking projects are also either in construction or about to break ground."