Parking a PODS/you-pack moving container in Brooklyn?

May 6, 2008 11:44 AM

How do I get space to park a you-pack moving container (think PODS) in Brooklyn? I'm moving to New York from DC for a new job in a few weeks. I'm moving the bulk of my stuff using ABF U-Pack - I'm subletting for two months and need my stuff stored until I find more permanent digs. In DC, I know I need to get a permit for the moving container for space in front of my place, but how do I do this in New York? Digging around on NYC.gov hasn't given me any leads.
posted by anarchivist to Travel & Transportation (8 answers total)

Call the moving company - they've likely run into this before. Alternatively, can you call 311? Maybe someone there can help?
posted by deadmessenger at 12:31 PM on May 6, 2008

Well, I'm not in New York yet, so no dice on the 311 info. Luckily time is on my side, but I'm a bit of a control freak preferable to getting as much info in advance as possible.
posted by anarchivist at 12:44 PM on May 6, 2008

Do you need access to the stuff for the two months? If not, why not actually use PODS and store it in their warehouse?
posted by tickettrader at 12:44 PM on May 6, 2008

tickettrader: That's the plan. I'm just trying to get info when I'm ready to move into my own apartment after the sublet is up.
posted by anarchivist at 12:46 PM on May 6, 2008

You can call NYC 311 from anywhere, so long as you call (212) NEW-YORK [639-9675]
posted by Xoder at 1:34 PM on May 6, 2008

i think PODS has warehouses--it might be easier to store the stuff there and then have them deliver it when you find a permanent place. i have never seen one parked on the street in new york, probably because it would just get broken into anyway.
posted by thinkingwoman at 1:44 PM on May 6, 2008

I recently did a long distance move to nyc and I used ABF U-pack as well. If you used one of the smaller containers, you can probably just try to hold a spot on the street since they're about the size as a car anyways - but you definitely want to double check with them before doing it. The little forklift will need some space to navigate into a parking spot.

Depending on your neighborhood it may be extremely difficult to block off enough of the street in the time period that ABF is going go to come by your place. Instead, I suggest this - hire a local mover to pick up your items from the ABF station and have them truck it over to your place. This worked out really well for me. It was worth the cost of not having to stress over saving a parking spot, street cleaning schedules, getting enough people to help out, driving a truck around small streets myself, etc. You can use the money from not having to pay for ABF's transportation fees towards the movers.

I used All-Star movers and had a good experience with them. Check out the forums at movingscam.com, there's a lot of great info there.
posted by unmodern at 9:35 PM on May 6, 2008

thinkingwoman: That's what I'm planning on doing, and that's what I'm asking: I need to know if I need/how to get a permit for parking the container. You need one in DC, which is why I assumed that you might need one in New York, too.
posted by anarchivist at 11:41 AM on May 7, 2008