Parking together instead of against each other
The mixed use of real estate is in vogue, as mixed-use or multi-tenant properties are becoming increasingly popular among commercial tenants, occupants and investors. The coexistence of living and working is also explicitly desired in many urban planning concepts. A typical way of dividing: mixed-use buildings today often combine retail on the first floor and residential and/or office space on the levels above.
The attractiveness of such multi-tenant properties can be attributed to several factors. First, occupants and investors appreciate the central location. Since many functions are concentrated in a small space, occupants benefit from short distances. In addition, mixed-use properties represent a lower economic risk for investors due to the diversification of uses. Commercial tenants often benefit from proximity to residential space, as residents can be attracted as customers. In short, multi-tenant properties are usually very attractive as residential and investment properties.
When it comes to management, operators and facility managers of mixed-use buildings often achieve efficiency benefits and economies of scale. This applies to the handling of resources such as energy, water or waste, to infrastructure costs, but also to maintenance, since all necessary services are used at the same location.
Multi-tenant parking management and distribution often complex and inefficient to date
One aspect, however, remains a challenge: the distribution of existing parking space and its management. Managing parking areas at mixed-use properties is not part of the core business of real estate management. In conventional form, it ties up resources, is costly and generates little to no revenue.
Especially since the various user groups have very different requirements for the allocation of parking space. Residents want parking spaces as close to their homes as possible, especially in the evenings, while office tenants have highly fluctuating parking needs due to mobile work and sporadically high numbers of visitors.
And of course, all tenants want as large a slice of the parking pie as possible. But what criteria should be used to allocate this space in a mixed-use property? Proportionally to the square meters rented? According to the expected number of visitors? Will the highest bidder win the bid? Or is it better not to allocate parking rights at all and the principle of "first come, first served" applies?
These different demands, the respective peak times and the different payment modalities for each group mean a lot of administrative work in conventional parking admin systems. Alternatively, the available parking space could be divided among the private and commercial tenants according to whatever key is used. Each of these would then be responsible for administration, access regulations, payment systems and maintenance. The result would be (and in many cases is) a patchwork quilt without transparency, without efficiency, without a positive user experience.
In addition, not every wish for sufficient parking space can be fulfilled anyway. After all, more than 100 percent of the available parking spaces cannot be allocated. Or can they?
What might smart parking management for multi-tenant properties look like?
Sharing parking spaces between several tenants requires either a high degree of coordination and cooperation between operators, tenants and users - or a smart system that reconciles even the sometimes contradictory requirements.
A central prerequisite for this is the technical ability to record and control vehicle entries and exits - and to do so in a highly automated manner without manual processes. Ideally, these entries and exits should be automated. This, in turn, would make it possible to derive a wide range of reports without much effort.
Such a smart system recognizes whether a vehicle has parking authorization. It categorizes users according to groups such as residents, employees, visitors, etc. The respective authorizations are assigned without manual intervention. The respective authorizations are issued in the system without any manual effort. And one of the most interesting points: Smart parking management is able to perfectly balance supply and demand by distributing parking spaces dynamically instead of rigidly.
The multi-tenant solution from parkoneer is such a smart system
One thing is clear: mixed-use properties are highly dynamic in their use by residents, employees and visitors. Different groups require different numbers of parking spaces at different times for different periods of time. In practice, however, this dynamic is often countered by a rigid distribution of parking spaces. In most cases, the parking spaces belong to an office, an apartment or a fitness center. This also means that they are empty at certain times. This leads to inefficiencies and dissatisfaction among tenants and users. At the same time, other parkers could utilize the vacant spaces.
parkoneer dynamizes parking and supports operators or facility managers in optimally utilizing parking spaces according to the respective demand - easily and with little effort. This benefits everyone who uses the residential, work and leisure facilities of mixed-use properties. This saves space, reduces the amount of traffic searching for parking spaces, and increases the satisfaction of both parking users and commercial tenants.
Example: The advertising agency on the 1st and 2nd floors has 200 parking spaces for employees and 30 for visitors from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays. For the after-hours period, the number of people authorized to park is reduced and a larger portion of the total parking area is made available to residents. For other facilities in the mixed-use building - such as fitness studios and cinemas - parking rights are allocated for the weekend or the respective core hours. In this way, all users will find a parking space when they need it.
When parking permits are created - in self-management by tenants, e.g., the advertising agency - the vehicle registration number of the parking permit holder is stored. In addition, the parking area and the time at which parking is permitted are noted. Upon entry and exit, the camera recognizes the stored license plate number and the barrier of the parking space opens.
