Wasted Parking Revenue Opportunities

**royce** · October-26-09, 02:51 AM

I'm not crazy about surface parking lots, but the City of Detroit has wasted revenue opportunities by not using lots that it owns to be used for parking. The old Statler site could surely make revenue as a surface parking lot, particularly for Tigers' and Lions' games. Whole blocks in Brush Park could be used for parking as well. I'm not advocating that these lots become permanent surface parking, but right now they are just sitting there growing weeds. Why hasn't the City of Detroit jumped at this opportunity?

Toolbox · October-26-09, 06:23 AM

WRONG! When the Statler was demolished the site was not prepped for parking vehicles. PQZ can school you on the details.

**bailey** · October-26-09, 08:08 AM

strange could have sworn seeing photos of people being waved on in to park there.

EastSider · October-26-09, 10:12 AM

Originally Posted by bailey

strange could have sworn seeing photos of people being waved on in to park there.

The people doing the waving were doing that illegally. Just because something is done downtown doesn't mean it's legal or smart.

**royce** · October-27-09, 02:15 AM

Originally Posted by Toolbox

WRONG! When the Statler was demolished the site was not prepped for parking vehicles. PQZ can school you on the details.

Well then, how much preparation is needed, especially for a gravel lot?

Toolbox · October-27-09, 07:29 AM

Originally Posted by royce

Well then, how much preparation is needed, especially for a gravel lot?

The whole site would need to be excavated to below the currently still existing Statler basement and backfilled with the approiate materials to support the parking lot.

Short answer a lot of work and money.

**punky1** · October-27-09, 08:37 AM

Just send the parking enforcement types over to all those lots just before the illegal operators walk away and hit them up with a cash paid up front ticket, a percentage of the take for the day, like maybe 75%. Get volunteer off duty police to go along and pat them down for the cash. Would make good segement for parking wars. Detroit would really have a step up on the Phillie bunch.

**Lowell** · October-27-09, 09:08 AM

The Statler might not have been prepped for parking vehicles but it has been working perfectly for tanks, heavy trucks and humvees.

**ndavies** · October-27-09, 09:09 AM

The city routinely runs game day bulk towing operations on the non parking lots in Brush park. Many people have paid the "parking attendants" money and had there cars towed for parking on city owned lots in brush park. The "parking attendants" remove the no parking signs and then just charge everyone $10 to park. The towing companies come by and enforce the no parking zones. Very lucrative for the towers and city.

Every spring the TV and newspapers run stories about suburbanites coming in and getting scammed.

Also we don't want want the same issues occurring in bruch park that happened in Corktown around Tiger Stadium. We do not want brush park filled with gravel parking lots. We want housing on those lots in Brush park.

**EastsideAl** · October-27-09, 10:13 AM

What a perfect scam. The city lets people park there by not enforcing the law against the illegal "car parkers.," even though they obviously know this is going on regularly. And then they come by and ticket and tow, which allows them to collect substantial fines from unsuspecting motorists.

I wonder how much the "parkers" have to kick back?

**ndavies** · October-27-09, 12:45 PM

The city does attempt to ticket the illegal "parking lot attendants". The city's working both ends of the scam. Unfortunately for the parkers, It's easier to catch a parked car than a running man.