Automated Parking Structures Springing Up In New York

"For decades, Italy, Germany and Japan have been developing automated garages in which cars are not driven to parking spaces but instead are lifted by computerized machines and stowed in compact berths. Such designs greatly increase the number of vehicles that a garage can hold.

The United States has been slow to come around to automated garages, however, largely because of fears that the technology is not reliable enough."

However, several automated garages are underway in New York City, with developers tapping into the potential of redeveloping surface parking lots while still being able to provide parking for tenets and the public.

"The spaces cost about $40,000 each to build on average, compared with $30,000 for a space in a typical underground parking lot, although those figures can be considerably higher, depending on how deep the builder has to dig and what is encountered along the way."

Cost isn't the only barrier however.

"Many municipal codes do not allow automated parking, so lengthy hearings are often required. This is a reason the introduction of the technology in the United States has taken so long, said Lee Lazarus, president of A.P.T. Parking Technologies, based in Manhattan."