This is Chapter Eleven from my book, Location? Location! Finding a Location for Your Brick and Mortar Business. How to Scout the Perfect Location for Your Dream of Opening a Brick and Mortar Business.
Lot Conditions can factor heavily into additional costs, and also inconvenience for an owner buying a new building or property plot if not considered prior to purchase and typically buyers don’t give a lot of thought to a parking lot unless it’s in very bad shape to start with.
Does the property you have found have a parking lot? Is it just for your business, or is it shared with an adjacent business? What is its condition? Paved? Gravel? Dirt? Something else?
If you are buying a location, is the parking lot going to need work? How much is it going to cost to repave or regrade? Does the lot slope towards your building? Or away? If it’s a gravel or dirt parking lot, how much and how often will it need fill or leveling?
Are you in an area with a lot of rain that may affect your lot’s condition? Or is it at the bottom of a hill or mountain that may have an excessive amount of melting snow/runoff in the spring?
When I worked in Vermont during the spring, the parking lots at the Ski Resort I worked at would frequently get flooded. The resort was open for business year-round and we would get some extremely grumpy customers complaining about navigating partially flooded parking lots.
If you are leasing the property, does the landlord have a history of maintaining the lot? If it needs maintenance to bring it up to acceptable use levels, is the landlord going to pay for that? And who defines “acceptable?” Make sure you get a written agreement from the landlord, and before signing anything, have a good business lawyer look over that agreement.
Why should you care about the condition of the parking area? A business with a well-maintained level of paved surface will look much more attractive to a passerby than a lot filled with enormous cracks, missing chunks of pavement, and grass tufts scattered throughout it.
Even more critical than curb appeal, the condition of the lot can impact a car driving through it (think potholes) and the walk from your lot to your business are important factors in the safety and well-being of your customers, as well as their vehicles.
If you don’t have parking on site and only street parking, paid lots, or a parking garage parking nearby, what shape are they in? Paid lots can discourage visitors if they are not in very good shape, as can parking garages. If your customers or staff are leaving late in the evening or arriving early in the morning, how safe are these locations? Are they well lit? Guarded? These factors all play into how comfortable people will be patronizing your brick and mortar business.
What are roads like locally? Are they well maintained? What condition are they in after a long winter? Are there lots of frost heaves that the town doesn’t pay attention to or massive potholes that it seems to take forever for the town or city to repair? Do the plows do a good job? And are they timely about getting out and clearing passage in regular snowstorms?
You won’t know if you are looking at the property in the spring, summer or fall, but this is where talking to residents and local businesses can help you fill in those holes in your knowledge base.
Consideration points for this chapter.
If there is a parking lot:
How many spaces do you have for the facility?
How many ADA/handicapped spaces do you have?
Are they well marked on the pavement, and via signage?
What condition is the parking lot in?
Is there also going to be enough parking for your employees?
Yes No
If No, where are they going to park?
How much is plowing going to cost in a bad winter? Don’t take average costs per winter. Base your budget on the worst winter you can get information on.
What other maintenance and repair needs are required for the lot?
What kind of shape is the lot in? Does it need a redesign and/or need work soon? If so, budget for it now.
Are there spaces set aside for pickup/delivery only? (if applicable)
Yes No
And if not, is there room to set aside and designate a few spaces for them?
Yes No
How is the lot laid out? Is the traffic flow with-in the lot easy to navigate or will people with oversized vehicles have trouble navigating the lot or pulling into or out of spaces?
Are there spaces for motorcycle parking? And if not, is there room to set aside or designate a few spaces for them? If you potentially have customers that may come in on bikes, you may want to consider this.
Yes No
Notes:
