The technology company delivering and operating Raleigh's first automated parking garage is in "advanced" talks to find and build similar garages specifically for driverless cars in other cities, as redevelopment is currently underway on a prime plot of real estate downtown. "We have an equity group actively looking for sites to build AUTOParkit garages for autonomous vehicles," Christopher Alan says, CEO of the autonomus parking company AUTOParkit. Other WRAL Top Stories In recent weeks, a large field of roadside trees have been cleared off Kindley Street near downtown, paving way for a 228-space automated parking deck that will be part of the greater Gateway Corridor project. Alan, whose company AUTOParkit is the manufacturer and operator of the autonomous parking system within the deck, previously told WRAL the company has had "perimeter talks with autonomous vehicle companies. When asked at a site survey this June, Alan said there was "quite a bit of advancement" on the matter, telling WRAL there are project discussions for driverless car garages in Los Angeles, San Francisco and potentially Austin, Texas that would incorporate his company's parking technology. “The financial group behind this is invested in driverless cars, driverless taxis. All of those need to be charged, parked somewhere," he said. AUTOParkit's system can park cars on its own using an automated load bay system, in which drivers deposit their vehicles into a kiosk-like underground system. The electric vehicle capable spaces can be upscaled to house autonomous, driverless cars. Whether AUTOParkit's progress with driverless car facilities in other cities translates to Raleigh is unclear. Alan, who says the project is slated to park its first car by year's end, says conversations would need to happen now to have them materialize in the coming years. "Those are discussions that need to happen now to happen 5-8 years