Things to Consider When Sourcing Parking for your Projects
Ruth Goodwin
Finding dependable off-site parking becomes an integral part of planning for your construction projects when there’s not enough space on the job site.
General contractors want to make sure their subcontractor teams / tradesmen are at the job site on time. Securing a property that can be rented on a monthly basis can be the most economical way to ensure this. By providing this to the subcontractors, it also helps boost worker morale as it eliminates the need for them to fend for themselves by searching for spots, and often paying expensive daily parking rates.
Below are some things to consider before you rent parking space for your project.
How many parking spaces are needed?
Before looking into parking options, one must first determine how many spots are roughly needed. This can be estimated by determining how many people are going to be present on the job site. Of course this will vary depending on the phase of the project, but it gives us a range to start with, and a peak number to plan for.
What is the timeline for needing the parking?
In simplest terms, at what point in the project will you need additional parking, and how long will you need it for? When speaking with properties about renting their parking spaces they’ll want to know how long you need the spots for. This could factor into pricing, and parking terms, in addition to long-term availability on multi-year projects.
What are the working days and hours?
Are subcontractors working on Saturdays, Sundays, or strictly just Monday through Friday? Is parking access needed 24/7 or only business hours? Depending when the parking will be needed, your options could change. For example, Churches are often a great fit as they typically come with ample parking spaces that are minimally utilized from Monday through Saturday, while contractors often don’t work on Sundays.
Will a shuttle be required?
For larger projects where offsite parking is needed for several hundred parkers at a time, it may not be possible to find enough parking within walking distance. This is where shuttles can be utilized to ensure workers have reliable transportation to and from the project. This also expands the radius when searching for parking options. Shuttles do come at a price though as they will cost you much more than the parking itself. With that said, the price is often justified for large enough projects, especially if it means subcontractors will be on time. Lost time on the job site means lost money after all.
Is the space Flexible?
Could a parking lot also be partially utilized for storage of laydown materials? Is there a need for truck staging? Can shuttle buses be stored overnight? How much will the number of parkers change by the project phase? Some properties may allow for multiple use cases beyond parking, which would provide added value due to the flexibility afforded.
What's the Budget?
Lastly, how much is the offsite parking going to cost? In the planning stages, obtaining some parking quotes will help you more accurately budget for the project. Has the cost been adequately accounted for from the subcontractor bids? Or will it affect the bottom line? What is the cost benefit to providing an offsite parking lot for the trades? These are all things to consider.
The items above are all helpful for you or someone you’re working with to source parking for your projects. It allows for more creativity when developing a plan to accommodate parkers (and even materials). Most importantly, it will reduce the time and effort spent finding a property to meet your needs.
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Author: Aaron Hall is the Construction Lead for WhereiPark. He develops custom parking/mobility solutions for construction company’s looking to optimize site logistics and efficiency. He’s worked with the some of the nation’s largest contractors such as HITT Contracting, Brasfield & Gorrie, and Holder Construction to source parking spaces, organize shuttle services, find laydown space, and more.