“Each large industrial site comes with unique and specific issues, particularly around parking. ”
Matt Smith, MBCM Strata Specialists Lilydale.
Matt Smith from MBCM Owners Corporation Lilydale is an expert at managing large commercial sites with practical and diplomatic solutions. The largest property in Matt’s extensive portfolio is an industrial site that consists of several automotive businesses – mechanics, panel beaters and tow truck operators – resulting in a high demand for parking spaces.
Despite the fact there were already ‘house rules’ regarding parking, many tenants ignored them or were unaware they existed. As a result, Matt was constantly dealing with complaints and conflicts regarding parking. On more than one occasion the police were even called.
Knowing the full extent of the problem and realising things needed to change, Matt took the proactive step of arranging a committee meeting. He explained that initially, the plan for the meeting was to discuss how to deal with the tenants ignoring the parking rules, however, the focus quickly shifted to changing the rules and having owner and tenants provide input on how to best accommodate the parking needs of the estate.
Matt understands that communication is key in disputes, listening to all parties impartially and then finding a solution will create a more harmonious outcome – so he took all the feedback on-board and considered several approaches; he then devised a parking plan to present to the committee.
The solution included allocating new spaces, updated line marking, new wayfinding and clear signage throughout the estate. There would also be a new strategy for better communication with all the occupants, including tenants.
From there Matt collated the committee’s comments on the plan and taking all their feedback into consideration he presented a final proposal at the Annual General Meeting (AGM). It was immediately voted to adopt the plan and was implemented shortly after.
Matt describes how, “although it required more work, seeking feedback from everyone allowed us to gain a better understanding of the full picture and everyone’s needs.” Then, by adopting some of the recommendations and putting them to a vote at an AGM, the result is that more residents will follow the rules because they have been involved in the process.
“When I enabled tenants and owners alike to take ownership of the solution and this highly contentious parking problem it was diplomatically solved.”
Matt Smith, MBCM Strata Specialists Lilydale.
