Hidden deep beneath a few of New York Metropolis’s most luxurious condominium buildings is an unique world of futuristic parking areas the place high-end automobiles are parked and retrieved by robotic parking techniques. 

The high-tech spots are a uncommon amenity within the Huge Apple, and if you’d like your automotive to occupy one in all these VIP areas you have to be able to fork over tons of of 1000’s of {dollars}.

The spots are solely accessible to residents of buildings the place the residences will set you again a number of million, and if you’d like your automotive to dwell there too you may want between $300,000 to $595,000 extra to attain some treasured house within the non-public storage.

CNBC discovered two buildings in Manhattan providing spots on the market inside a so-called robo-parking storage.

The primary is situated at 121 East twenty second Avenue close to NYC’s Gramercy Park the place a 140-unit condominium constructing developed by Toll Brothers presents 24 automated parking spots.

Earlier this month, Lori Alf, a full-time resident of Florida, picked up one of many uncommon parking areas for $300,000 when she bought the constructing’s priciest unit: a 5-bedroom duplex spanning virtually 3,800 sq. ft.

She advised CNBC the package deal deal, which totaled $9.45 million, was a present to her youngsters who at the moment are spending extra time in New York.

Now when Alf or her youngsters need to park the household’s Porsche Cayenne within the condominium’s storage they pull as much as a kiosk the place the wave of a small radio frequency ID tag unlocks entry to a subterranean automotive lair the place no people are allowed. 

Urgent a button on the kiosk sends a jolt of life into an empty steel pallet one stage beneath. It slides throughout a monitor onto a robust raise that sends the empty pallet up towards ground-level to fulfill the Alfs who can then rigorously place their automotive on prime of it.

Earlier than their wheels are whisked away, a set of cameras scan the system’s entryway to verify the automotive’s trunk and doorways are all closed — and that there are not any objects or people left behind that may hinder the automation. 

When the scanners ship the “all clear,” the pallet, with automotive on prime, disappears into the ground, pausing briefly because it descends into the basement to spin the automobile 180 levels earlier than slotting it into one of many empty areas.

The system can raise and shuffle two dozen automobiles throughout 4 rows and two ranges. 

Retrieving the automotive is rather a lot like making a variety from a large merchandising machine. Residents swipe their RFID tags as soon as once more, and the system delivers their automobiles in about 2 minutes and 15 seconds.

One of many perks for Alf: She by no means has to place the automotive in reverse to exit the constructing.

“The automotive is turned for you by the robotic,” she advised CNBC. “Who would not dwell for a robotic that units you in the correct path in NYC?”

Pedro Fernandez, a neighborhood gross sales consultant for Klaus Parking, the corporate that offered the German-made parking system to the constructing’s developer, advised CNBC it is essentially the most automated storage he is ever put in in Manhattan. 

The corporate’s top-tier system sometimes prices between $50,000 and $70,000 per spot put in. Fernandez stated builders make investments over 1,000,000 {dollars} within the clever parking infrastructure as a result of it is tremendous environment friendly at arranging automobiles and maximizing house.

“There was no different method to park 24 automobiles,” Fernandez stated of the storage house underneath 121 East twenty second Avenue.

The self-parking system can unlock extra areas per sq. foot as a result of it would not require the ramps and driving lanes you see in most typical garages, he stated.

​”As loopy as it could sound, $300,000 for a residential parking spot is taken into account an affordable value in New York Metropolis,” stated Senada Adzem, a Florida-based actual property dealer at Douglas Elliman, whose crew represented Alf in her latest buy.

Adzem advised CNBC spots within the system that embrace a charging plug for electrical automobiles will run you $350,000. And whether or not it is electrified or not, each parking spot carries a $150 per-month upkeep price.

“The general lack of parking within the metropolis, an ongoing drawback for ever and ever, will solely escalate such pricing,” stated Adzem. 

She believes quick provide might flip the seemingly lavish expense right into a money-maker for homeowners, who might finally resell their spot at a revenue.

Throughout city, parking spots are even pricier in a constructing that was as soon as dwelling to popstar Ariana Grande and at present homes rock musician Sting and his movie producer spouse Trudie Styler.

The value to park at 520 West twenty eighth Avenue begins at $450,000. 

The luxe residence, designed by famed architect Zaha Hadid and developed by The Associated Firms, features a 4,500-square-foot penthouse at present available on the market for $16.5 million. And based on itemizing agent Julie Pham of Corcoran, a parking house within the constructing’s storage can value upwards of $595,000 extra per automobile.

“I would by no means seen something prefer it earlier than,” Pham stated of the distinctive amenity.

Residents can use an app to speak with the so-called “secured parking portal” and remotely begin the automated retrieval course of so the automotive is able to go when they’re.

Whereas Pham would not reveal the identities of any previous or current purchasers, she did inform CNBC the automated parking was a serious draw for one well-known resident, who had a safety crew study the parking space previous to shifting in.

The unnamed celeb’s representatives OK’d the deal partly as a result of the star might enter and exit the storage in complete privateness, Pham stated.

 ”They preferred the concept you did not have to have interaction with a valet or an attendant, or that anybody could not are available in proper behind you,” she stated.

And in the course of the pandemic, the dealer stated, residents who wished to attenuate their publicity to Covid-19 liked that they may deposit and retrieve their automobile with out handing over their keys to a valet.

Whereas the automated spots are expensive, they are not even near NYC’s costliest.

In recent times, some condominium builders have pushed their asking costs for a fundamental concrete-and-yellow-stripe parking spot to the $1-million mark, based on Jonathan Miller, president of Miller Samuel, a agency specializing in actual property value determinations and consulting. Nonetheless, he stated, it is unlikely a spot with a 9-figure asking value has ever lured in an precise purchaser.

“I by no means discovered proof of their precise closings,” he advised CNBC.

Miller, who analyzed public data at CNBC’s request, stated one of the vital costly parking spots offered on the town final yr was situated at 220 Central Park South, the place a parking house went for a formidable $750,000. Miller stated, based mostly on public data, it seems related to an condominium within the constructing that traded for $16 million.

“It is actually powerful to trace since most gross sales are embedded within the sale of a unit,” Miller advised CNBC.

And it is even more durable to trace gross sales of spots within the newer automated techniques, as a result of, in lots of instances the spots are literally licensed to consumers, not deeded and offered like most actual property, based on brokers.

Miller stated his finest estimate for the going fee of a single NYC parking spot: ”I believe $300,000 to $400,000 is the candy spot for brand new growth.”