GrowSpace Storage, a self-storage startup business designed specifically to help people grow, harvest and store marijuana, has launched in Denver. The 24,000-square-foot facility at 4985 Colorado Blvd. is equipped with proprietary, climate-controlled units called GrowPods that enable renters to cultivate cannabis, herbs, produce and other plants indoors, according to the source.

Chief operating officer Richard Lamb spent $900,000 on the facility, which he believes can be replicated in other cities and states where growing marijuana is legal, the source reported. “Indoor urban farming is a growing trend, and GrowSpace Storage offers access to a safe, local community of urban farmers,” Lamb said in a company press release. “Our facilities provide a solution [for] customers who might not be able to grow at home, such as those confined by space or rental policies, or simply want to remove greenhouse-based growing risks from their home environments. The introduction of legal cannabis to the discussion has created significant energy around the urban-cultivation market.”

Grow units are available in 8- or 16-square-foot sizes and come equipped with controls for airflow, fertigation, humidity, temperature and watering. LED lighting is also used to aid cultivation while maintaining a low heat footprint, the release stated. “The conditions for each stage of crop development can be controlled onsite or remotely from anywhere in the world” by using a Web application, company officials said.

The GrowPods design combined with the lighting systems “virtually eliminate the fire risks associated with growing,” the release stated. Last week, a grow unit housing medical marijuana at a self-storage facility in Michigan blew up, injuring a man and damaging several buildings. The local sheriff’s office believes the blast was related to propane, which may have been used to heat the unit. The case is under investigation.

Lamb is hopeful he’ll be able to expand the GrowSpace business model into other markets as a “safe alternative” for recreational growers. “We understand that each city has slightly different concerns to address, and our team works with the local officials in order to ensure the solutions we offer meet or exceed [their] needs and expectations,” he said. “For instance, one city we spoke with recently, had a focus on the disposal of harvested product, which was simply being dropped into trash cans and rolled out onto the streets for trash pickup. Our model addresses those less-obvious but highly valid concerns as well.”

In addition to fire, Lamb said home-growing can create health risks and other issues. “The problems are mostly introduced by creating a greenhouse inside a house,” he said. “The hazards include obvious challenges, such as fires or increased crime potential, to much less apparent long-term health problems like asthma and respiratory illness. GrowSpace offers a turnkey solution in an environment that is designed to remove the risks associated with indoor cultivation.”

The GrowSpace launch hasn’t been without controversy. Three weeks after opening, city officials passed an ordinance limiting GrowSpace and similar facilities to growing no more than 36 marijuana plants, the source reported. The facility has had to adjust by limiting cultivation to herbs, produce and other plants while city officials continue to work on marijuana-cultivation policies.

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