Page 8 - NY Cooperator April 2020

8 THE COOPERATOR — APRIL 2020 COOPERATOR.COM MANAGEMENT While there are strong arguments to Lauren, the principal of Lauren Interior the ones coping with the problem daily. “I ing for over 20 years, and reports – consis- be made about the less-than-great impact Design in Manhattan. “What was appro- the internet has had on our lives and the priate 10 years ago is no longer sufficient objective of the new or redesigned space,” management and building operations pro- world, few would disagree that it's made for most buildings. The space set aside just she says. a lot of things a whole lot more accessible isn’t large enough. Very often we are build- to a lot more people. That's especially true ing out package closets into existing lobby signed an existing storage area, increasing estimate that there has been a 60 to 70% when it comes to material goods. From su- shi to sports equipment to sofas, practical- ly anything can be delivered right to your are customized to the space and match the desk to position it in front of the planned last decade. One particularly cumbersome door – often within 24 hours of ordering décor and design of the lobby.” it. Convenience on a level once reserved for very wealthy people with household arriving each day from Amazon, other to the storage area is a priority in plan- staff they could send out to pick up what- ever is now taken for granted by nearly ev- eryone, regardless of tax bracket. In many co-op and condo buildings, of space. In many cases, those items com- the result of this convenience is anything pete for space with online retail deliver- but. Doormen and building staff are regu- larly buried in everything from clothing to kit purveyors like Fresh Direct and Blue Living, Inc., a New York-based firm that in the emergency fire hallway in the rear books to electronics to groceries, and resi- dents in unstaffed buildings worry about tion, adding a whole new dimension to non-doorman apartment buildings, ex- packages left unattended in vestibules or the bottleneck. lobbies. The piles keep getting bigger, and deliveries are arriving at an ever-increas- ing pace. What’s the solution? In a word: a multifamily client, Lauren speaks with some space challenges. For small walk-up nience —is the main driver of the package organization. Making Room for More “Storage needs for package delivery they need, and what kind—shelves versus controlled access and an electrified lock complicating things; many online retailers have changed over the years,” says Susan hanging bars, for example—since they're which is integrated with Carson’s systems. accept free returns of merchandise as well space, or adding storage capacity by cre- ating furniture like storage cabinets that included the relocation of the attendant's eries to the buildings they serve over the In addition to the avalanche of boxes ren, keeping the attendant’s station close quently is large boxes containing furniture regular delivery items – things like dry ning storage space, since neither the resi- cleaning and registered mail – are still be- ing dropped off, and still take up plenty to abandon the security station to fetch ies, including perishable food from meal- Apron, which may also require refrigera- When designing a new or upgraded properties, even those without staff. “For dent’s apartment as quickly as possible.” storage space and box reception area for older buildings,” he says, “we deal with the concierge and doorman to get their properties we suggest a very cutting-edge tsunami, explains our concierge. And it's input on how much more space they think turnkey solution. We create a cage with not just the deliveries coming in that are let them drive the direction of the size and tent with the observations of several other At 165 West End Avenue, Lauren rede- the space by approximately 50%. The plan increase in boxes and other types of deliv- updated storage area. According to Lau- dents nor the doormen or concierge want bled to a waiting resident anymore. packages. What If There’s No Doorman? Neil Golub, director of sales for Carson have to store large box deliveries like these provides resident services for smaller and of the building,” says the concierge. “Obvi- plains that there are options for all types of We try to move them out and to the resi- We can automatically open it when there is a delivery.” Because of those space limitations, Golub says these units are compact and efficient; they can be located under a stair- well, for instance. Once the units are in- stalled and operational, delivery people use a communications pad at the front door to request access. Carson provides entrance to the building, instructs them where to drop the package, and provides access to the storage cabinet. The compa- ny then confirms with the package recipi- ent via email, text, or app notification that a package has been delivered. Confronting the Onslaught Clearly, doorpersons and concierges are on the front line when it comes to managing the ever-increasing volume of packages arriving daily at our buildings. The Cooperator was able to speak with a concierge at a condominium building on the West Side of Manhattan. (Both the concierge and the building’s board and management requested anonymity out of consideration for residents' privacy.) This concierge has been with the build- fessionals – that the sheer number of pack- ages is overwhelming. The professionals variety they're seeing more and more fre- meant to be assembled by the purchaser. Furniture is rarely delivered fully assem- Because the existing storage area in the concierge's building is just too small to handle this type of delivery, “We often ously, that’s a fire hazard and a violation. And Amazon—that titan of conve- Managing Deliveries Solving 'The Package Problem' BY A. J. SIDRANSKY