Adding Parking Spaces

Expanding a parking lot by converting a landscaped area into parking space sounds easy, but in actuality the process can be quite complicated.  As coveted as parking places can be, green space is not something you can necessarily sacrifice without a care.  In many cases landscaped, wooded areas are protected by government ordinance or regulation.  It’s by no means impossible in every instance to get a variance & permit, but don’t expect an easy time of it.

Even if you manage to avoid or get through the bureaucratic red tape, there’s a good chance that someone in the community will object to the loss of a tree or lawn.  It’s not unheard of for such objections to degenerate into lawsuits.

After you’ve cleared the legal hurdles, you can expect to pay construction cost of $2,000 – $4,000, per space (depending upon factors too complex & numerous to discuss here).  Engineering and permitting fees, feasibility studies, environmental impact studies, surface drainage calculations, etc. that may be needed before construction can begin could add considerably to the cost.