PARKING NEWS

Super Park - Success in the 'Cloud'

HOUSTON, Oct. 3, 2012 (PARKING TODAY) - “Sometimes when you turn over a rock,” said Super Park Owner John Hammerschlag, “you find more rocks, worms, snakes, bugs, etc. At Super Park, when we turned over rocks, we found only gold nuggets.”

An investor group led by Hammerschlag purchased the distressed off-airport garage across from Houston’s Hobby airport in 2010. Super Park’s revenue control system operates on a “cloud-based” system, using T2 hardware and software. “We needed a hosted cloud solution for true automation with bells and whistles,” Hammerschlag said. “As we are a small shop and don’t have an in-house IT department, we needed a company that would react to our specific requirements. We investigated other software solutions, and those providers were clearly deficient in believing in our view of automation and the deliverables we required."

“Was the installation completely without issues? Of course not and we are still working out our issues diligently. You cannot expect specialized, one-off software to work perfectly every time,” Hammerschlag said. “What you need is support that can perceive the parking customer’s needs, react quickly, and fix problems as they arise. The cloud-based system makes that easier to accomplish, because the software resides with the manufacturer which can make changes and fixes quickly. I’m sold on ‘the cloud.’”

See the full article here.

Parking demand declines at new apartment buildings...

March 26th, 2012:  A recent article published in Crain's Chicago Business talks about the decline in demand for parking spaces in downtown apartment buildings and how this shift is causing real estate developers to rethink the way they build and market their buildings. 

It's unclear if the drop in demand for parking spots, which can cost $200 to $300 a month at downtown apartment buildings, reflects a lasting change in lifestyle or a temporary response to the economic downturn—or both. With the severe downturn in the residential real estate market, apartment occupancy levels and rents have climbed as more people choose to rent rather than buy.

Younger renters in particular may be forgoing cars because of rising downtown rents, says John Hammerschlag, president of Chicago-based Hammerschlag & Co., a parking consultant. "With the amount of money they have to pay for apartment living in high-rises, to spend an extra $10,000 a year to have a car downtown is not something they want to do," he says.

To read more on parking demand in new apartment buildings, please click here.

Super Park featured on 88.7 KUHF-FM Houston...

On December 2nd, 2011, 88.7 KUHF-FM Houston aired an interview with John Hammerschlag, president of Hammerschlag & Co., Inc on the newly modernized off-airport parking facility at Hobby Airport in Houston, Texas.

Click here for the article & audio of the interview.... 

Two parking giants joining forces...

March 1st, 2012:  On February 29th, 2012, Standard Parking Corp., a leading parking operator announced its acquisition of a competitor, Central Parking Corp. Combined, the company will operate about 4,400 parking facilities and 2.2 million parking spaces in hundreds of cities, including Chicago. 

For more information on this merger, check out the following links:

David Roeder, Chicago Sun Times

Standard Parking Corporation

Super Park at Houston's Hobby Airport offers speedy parking option for busy travelers...

February 6th, 2012: Hammerschlag & Co., Inc., a nationwide investor and acquirer of parking assets, announced today that the Super Park Garage, purchased last year and located across the street from Hobby Airport at 7979 Airport Boulevard in Houston, TX, has been fully renovated and rebranded to a 21st century automated facility.

“We saw an undercapitalized, off-airport parking property that was in disrepair and inefficient,” says John Hammerschlag, President of Hammerschlag & Co., Inc., and the sponsor of the investor group that acquired Super Park. “With the garage’s almost perfect location and shortest ride to Hobby Airport, we anticipated huge potential. With all covered parking stalls and the ability to add value through automation, increased capacity, tiered pricing, effective branding, and a positive customer experience – we were convinced that Super Park would thrive.”

Over $700,000 in capital improvements have been made primarily through local Houston contractors and specialty vendors to refurbish the property.

Hammerschlag says it’s all about the customer experience. “Traveling is stressful enough—parking shouldn’t be. Super Park is super quick and offers the shortest ride to Hobby Airport as compared to any other off-airport parking garages. We’ve achieved tremendous efficiencies through automation. We’re pleased to have made the investment in a Houston property, using Houston vendors, for the benefit of Houston Hobby Airport travelers.”

For more information on Super Park, please visit www.superparkhouston.com or contact Jack Stead at jack@hammerschlagparking.com.

Putting vacant storefronts to creative use...

July 8th, 2011: In partnership with Pop Up Art Loop, a non-profit initiative of Chicago Loop Alliance, Hammerschlag & Co., Inc. and Midwest Property Group transformed 500 square feet of vacant retail space at 210 North Wells Street into a new temporary art exhibit to create energy, excitement and additional foot traffic. 

"In today's challenging environment, the Pop Up Art Loop program provides us with a creative way to market the vacant retail space to potential tenants while drawing attention to both the 550-stall self park garage and the 329 unit luxury residential and corporate building above" said John Hammerschlag, President of Hammerschlag & Co., Inc.

The Woods features 40 neon axe sculptures by artist Keith Lemley. 

"My work is about seeing the unseen - the invisible presence which exists in our minds and surrounds all objects, experiences, and memories.  I focus on the quiescent potential of materials and environments to be more and different than how they are currently perceived and understood; fulfilling an inmate desire to explore, discover, share and think."

For more information on parking at 210 North Wells, please contact Nicole at nicole@hammerschlagparking.com.  Information on apartment leasing can be found at www.200squared.com.  For retail leasing, please call Atlas Partners at (312) 516-5705.

Parking has never been so poetic... until now...

On May 9^th, 2011, 201 West Madison Self Park, was rebranded The Poetry Garage.  First of its kind in Chicago and nationally, this themed garage in Chicago’s Loop business district features a multimedia poetry experience for its parkers.

Visitors to The Poetry Garage will be enlightened with visual presentations of poets and audio readings of selected poems.  Each floor of the parking structure is represented by a specific poet.  A diverse list was chosen, comprised of poets from various ethnicities, and times in history and each embraces their own writing style.

“The Poetry Garage provides a great way for our patrons to enjoy a literary experience while helping them to remember where their car is parked,” said John Hammerschlag, President of Hammerschlag & Co., Inc. “We’re extremely pleased to introduce this creatively themed parking experience in downtown Chicago. Parking is a very competitive industry, so we felt it was important to differentiate ourselves with a special non-traditional theme. Parking is our passion and we are excited about this innovation at one of our prime properties in the city.”

For more information on The Poetry Garage, please visit www.ThePoetryGarage.com or contact Nicole Fernandes at nicole@hammerschlagparking.com.

210 North Wells Update

210 North Wells construction is complete and apartment leasing is underway.

The 546 car self park opened September 7, 2010. The garage is fully automated and provides parking for the residents of the 210 North Wells apartment tower and the surrounding neighborhood.

210 North Wells includes 329 apartments and over 9,000 square feet of retail space. 
In direct collaboration and partnership with the developer, Midwest Property Group, Hammerschlag & Co., Inc. has had responsibility of the parking component of this building from the “ground up”.

Please visit www.210nwells.com for more information about parking at the garage.

For information about renting an apartment, please visit www.200squared.com.

Chicago Parking Meters

In December of 2008, Chicago became the first city in America to privatize its 36,000 parking meters; it has been a hot topic ever since.

Learn more about it:

• Chicago Parking Meters, LLC 
• City of Chicago's website 

And, see how it's going:

• Chicago Tribune 
• Chicago Sun Times