I bought a vacant lot downtown and a couple of months ago I turned it into parking spaces.
- There are several clubs and bars close to the parking lot, so I can charge $15 for parking.
I can charge $20 for parking on the weekends, as long as I have a security guard to watch the lot. I’ve honestly never had anyone complain about the price they have to pay. When I purchased the vacant lot and turned it into parking, I had a contractor come to the lot to paint parking spaces. Everything had to be exactly perfect and within the limits for the city. I had to keep each face exactly eight and a half feet apart and I had to prepare separate parking for handicapped patrons. By law I was required to have one handicap spot for every 10 regular spots that I provided. I hired a night guard and I bought a small mobile building for the guard to sit inside of at night. I didn’t want the guard to stand outside in the rain and I knew it was important to have a place where the guy could keep a till for the parking meters. Unfortunately, I drove by the parking lot last Saturday night and the guard was sleeping inside of the mobile building. I walked all the way up to the guard shack before the guy was alerted. He could have been shot in the back and no one would have seen anything. I am beginning to think that having the guard inside of a portable building at night might not be the best thing.