Automated Parking for People Too Lazy to Park Their Car

The Golden Age of Luxury Condo Sales in Manhattan is past, according to realtor Dana Olshan’s year-end report posted by DNAinfo. Asking prices for condos over $4 million have dropped by 6 percent this year, Olshan says, which means the all-too-brief Golden Age lasted from 2013 to 2015.

But before developers and brokers start jumping off the roof of 432 Park Avenue, they should take heart that a new amenity might bring those rich buyers back. No, we’re not talking about such prosaic things as gyms, swimming pools, wine cellars, golf simulators, baby stroller storage, or 24/7 pet spas – even though the denial of access to such amenities has been known to inspire a $100 million lawsuit.

We’re talking about automated parking – with sensors and robotic platforms – which is becoming a selling point in Manhattan and select Brooklyn neighborhoods, the Real Deal reports. After the real estate crash of 2008, this nascent technology all but disappeared, but now it’s enjoying a comeback. At the Waverly, a 48-unit condo development in Clinton Hill, for example, residents leave their car on a metal tray embedded in the floor. The car is then measured and photographed and lowered onto a machine that puts it on a vacant rack. When the owner returns, the car is retrieved.

At 325 Henry Street in Cobble Hill, the developer, OTL Enterprise, says automated parking has sped up sales. Other condo developments – at 252 East 57th Street, and 520 West 28th Street near the High Line – will also use the technology. No more door dings. No more tipping the valet. Hell, no more parking.