Thornwood Self Storage Center, a new facility committed to green principles, recently celebrated its grand opening in Thornwood, N.Y. The 48,000-square-foot facility has eco-friendly features including rooftop solar panels and a motion-sensor lighting system.

Nearly 100 people from the community turned out for the celebration, which included organic foods and wines, tours of the facility and a green ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Co-owners Dan Kasman and Michael Gyory’s long-term initiative was to educate the community about eco-friendly practices, support local, like-minded organizations and partner with environmental organizations in development.

Gyory's father built the structure in 1960s originally as a warehouse. Most recently, the building operated as a health club. During the building’s conversion to self-storage, 95 percent of the structure was reused and construction debris was recycled and reclaimed.

The three-story facility offers 360 climate-controlled units, onsite power backup, recyclable and biodegradable packing materials and uses only environmentally friendly cleaning products.

Kasman and Gyory engaged the services of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority and O'Dea, Lynch, Abbattista Consulting Engineers to facilitate the energy-efficient development of the building.  

The project was funded with a $4.3 million construction loan from Wells-Fargo Bank NA.  Kasman and Gyory also built and operated Katonah Self Storage Center, which they sold in 2005.

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