My apartment complex just can't get the lots paved

"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein) 08/26/2014 at 12:31 • Filed to: None

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My apartment complex has been trying and failing to get the parking lots re-paved, for the past several weeks. There are 204 units in 6 buildings. Each building has a garage, where each unit has 1 space, and parking lots outside. Plenty of room, except when you have to kick everyone out to re-pave the lots.

There are two separate parking lot groupings that each have their own driveway:

The original plan was to do the paving in halves. The day each side was being paved, all cars had to be out of that surface lot, and any cars left in the garages attached to that lot would be stuck in the garages until the paving was finished.

Also, any cars left in a surface lot the day it was supposed to be paved, would be towed.

The day my lot was to be paved, I left my 135is in the garage and put my Grand Cherokee on the street. But the paving people never came. They had some kind of equipment failure and had to reschedule.

The paving was then moved to my side being done yesterday, the other lot today, and rain date tomorrow. This time I put both cars on the street, just in case. But it rained all day yesterday. No paving happened.

When I got home yesterday, there was a note saying now BOTH lots would be paved today. All 204 apartments had to put their cars out on the street. The street was jammed full of cars, so I left the 135is inside and put the Jeep on the street.

This morning, a tow truck showed up. There was a single solitary Corolla that had been left in the lot. It got towed all the way...to the street. Enough people had left for work to leave room for the flatbed tow truck to parallel park on the street and unload the Corolla. That was nice of them.

Then on my way to work, it started raining.

Should be interesting to see how much progress they've made when I get home.

GhostZ > Textured Soy Protein 08/26/2014 at 12:44

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My brain keeps telling me that there is way too much space for that to be an apartment complex, and the buildings aren't nearly tall enough.

Tohru > GhostZ 08/26/2014 at 12:57

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This is a suburb apartment complex, not Harlem.

Textured Soy Protein > GhostZ 08/26/2014 at 12:59

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The buildings are only 3 stories. Three of them have 30 units, the other three have 38 units.

There are places like this all over the suburban parts of town (Madison, WI). Pretty much all of them offer a garage space with every apartment, plus a pool and gym. Mine also has a volleyball court, which I've never used.

I don't know if it's got something to do with the zoning laws, or what. Might just be that keeping the buildings to 3 floors allows room underneath for each apartment to have its own garage space.

rhorizon > Textured Soy Protein 08/26/2014 at 13:00

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I had a similar issue a few months back with our complex. They painted new lines last year: we had to move. Then they fixed the concrete sidewalks in front of the parking spots: we had to move. THEN they decided to repave and repaint the entire lot this year: we had to move.

Fresh parking lots: because FUCK YOU, that's why

GhostZ > Tohru 08/26/2014 at 13:03

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I was thinking more this:

GhostZ > Textured Soy Protein 08/26/2014 at 13:05

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It is considerably more expensive to build a 5-story building than a 3-story one. 5 to 10 are about the same I think, and then it gets worse. It has something to do with the construction materials and layout. So if you're in an area where land is cheaper than air, it makes sense to expand outward than upward.

GhostZ > Tohru 08/26/2014 at 13:06

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Also, for clarification, I grew up in a place with no apartments and went to a large city where it was only taller complexes. I've actually never seen something laid out like this before, so it surprised me.

Textured Soy Protein > rhorizon 08/26/2014 at 13:09

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They also power wash the garages once a year and kick everyone out for that, but it's not so bad since there's the surface lots.

Tohru > GhostZ 08/26/2014 at 13:10

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Madison is fucking weird, though. There's a law on the books saying that any building within a mile and a half of the state capitol can't be taller than the base of the captiol dome.

It leads to the skyline of the town being very wide and flat.

Tohru > Textured Soy Protein 08/26/2014 at 13:11

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I didn't know you lived in Madison. I have family in Madison and McFarland, and I live an hour north of Madison.

Textured Soy Protein > GhostZ 08/26/2014 at 13:13

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That makes sense. Any time I see one being built (which happens someday often around here), it's kind of like a big house with poured concrete foundation with wood framing.