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Originally Posted by DeepWater
Can anyone relay their experience with using an empty commercial store type building? Did you have to lease it or were you able to get it as a donation? If the owner does donate the use of the building for a few months can they take it as a tax write-off? Since the mall closes at 9:00 how would we work late into the night? How much does electricity run per month to heat a Kmart size building? All of these buildings around here have been for sale for years with no signs of them being sold anytime soon. What sort of insurance would a team have to have to cover liability on a Kmart size building? I guess I fear that even if we could somehow get to use a big store building for a couple of months rent free we couldn’t afford the other costs to use it. Where would we start? At the realtor that has the building listed for sale?
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I would start with something smaller than Kmart, at least if you are just having one team meet there. If you're planning a competition like our Pre-Ship Scrimmage, then that is something else entirely.
The tax situation probably depends on the jurisdiction. Here in California our moving into the old grocery store actually saved the church several thousand dollars in taxes. Since the building was commercial when last occupied the church had to pay property taxes on it, even though it wasn't being used. When they converted it to a non-profit use, that changed. The savings were used to refurbish the building and make it more suitable for events. A win-win for the robot team and the church. The county (who collects the taxes) probably wasn't as happy about it. But they don't want too many vacant buildings around either. It drives down values on nearby properties and reduces tax rates for them.
Insurance and utilities would have to be negotiated with the owner. However "hobby insurance" is available for many activities and is not terribly expensive. If you live in a cold climate utilities would be more of an issue. Though in a mall with other stores they are already having to keep the building warm. The additional expense would be very small for just running tools and computers.
One advantage of working in a storefront is you get much more exposure to the public. Used properly this can be a huge advantage. Our team was careful to make sure the door was open during the times when people would be walking past on their way to church services. Many stopped in to see what was up. That gave us a chance to interact with the congregation and show them what we were doing. A few even became sponsors! Others wound up on one of our Lego League teams. All in all it was a great year and we are looking forward to being back there this year.
If you find a place the thing to do is contact the agent in charge of renting/leasing the space. They can put you in touch with the owners if needed. Or you can look up the property records and find out for yourself who owns it, but they are paying the agent for a reason so I would be hesitant to go straight to the owner if somebody on the team didn't know them already.
Have a plan for how you want to use the space and what times you would be there. BTW it is possible to build robots without doing regular all-nighters. I don't think the BeachBots have done one for three or four years now. You just have to be careful about how you manage your time. Investigate insurance and have an answer for the question as it is sure to come up. Emphasize that this is just for a short time and if you are dealing with a large property owner, be flexible about locations. BE SURE TO INCLUDE THE OWNER AS A SPONSOR, even if they don't give you any money. They are saving you several hundreds or thousands in rent