But you need to give all tenants a pack of felt pads.

Long term we would like to have it as a"landing pad" half of the year once we retire (10yrs).

Then you just pad it back up.

When I was single I rented my bachelor pad in a higher end neighborhood that didn't cash flow but was great to live in while owning my investment property about an hour away in a place that cash flowed that I didn't want to live in. 

Depending on how big the area is, you might find a dealer that has remnants, but in our area it's hard to beat the Home Depot or Lowes deals for new carpet and pad installations.

Converted a garage into a bedroom & bathroom, added a below ground pool, ADU/mother in law suit, raised the overall construction C2, C3, C4.Just be careful on what you spend versus what you want to get back because most kitchens are like brake pads at some point it's just a required replacement.

@Luca Mastrangelo Its all about the carpet and the pad. 

Also, what would be a reasonable cost  to expect for plowing a two and a half car parking pad reachable through the alley and shoveling the sidewalks of a duplex on  4800 sq ft lot in Mpls?

Gives you a pad and roads, even if cracked and old.

Finding one that has built in padding and a thick wear layer (10 or 12 mm) makes for easier install, it holds up forever, and is just all around better.