Save Money By Living in a Mall Parking Garage for Four Years
Author: Nick
Category: Money
Topics: home, real estate

Perhaps the biggest sign yet that housing prices are a tad too high: people setting up permanent residences in mall parking garages. As the story indicates, a guy named Michael Townsend led a group of Rhode Islanders who set up living quarters behind a wall of concrete in a Providence shopping mall garage.
Apparently the Mallpartment™ (patent and trademark pending) had electricity, furniture, and… lots of parking. No running water though, but residents could just use the mall restrooms or stand under the parking garage gutters for a nice cold shower.
Michael Townsend was arrested and charged with trespassing, but he was only sentenced to probation. I know a lot of people paying hefty mortgages would have liked to see Michael Townsend go to jail for scamming his way into a rent-free apartment.

8 Responses »
1.
kev
October 3rd, 2007 at 9:21 pm
If he had wireless Internet too, I think the crazy man was onto something…
2.
Patrick
October 4th, 2007 at 6:26 am
Wow. Not the way I would choose to live, but it certainly is inexpensive!
Unfortunately the sound didn’t work for me on the video, but the picture was fine…
3.
Clever Dude
October 4th, 2007 at 8:00 am
Hmm. The name stuck out at me while reading the paper yesterday. I know a Michael Townsend. Probably not the same person though.
Hey, I noticed you shortened your blogroll. Glad I’m at the top!
4.
Nick
October 4th, 2007 at 8:52 am
C-Dude, it’s been short like that for a while. I’ll have to look into adding a few more sites soon.
Patrick, one of the few disadvantages of living in a parking garage apartment is that you don’t get sound. It’s just how it is.
5.
rstlne
October 5th, 2007 at 3:21 pm
Alternative interpretation: The mall has unused space that they could’ve leased out to someone. What a waste.
6.
Cindy
October 11th, 2007 at 4:16 pm
Funny, most of the news stories I’ve found talk about how he spent a whole 4 weeks there (as if this is a long time) and that he is talking about it as an art project / stunt. So it doesn’t sound like he was living there for four years, but it took him and his friends that long to build. Sounds like he wanted to prove he could live there (during the 4 weeks) but that he didn’t actually do so.
7.
Steel Building Guru
October 23rd, 2007 at 11:57 am
Lol that’s too funny but hey it’s probably gonna be a trend soon. Pretty smart if you ask me.
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