U-Haul International Inc. is converting the former American Metal Sales Inc. property in Southaven, Miss., to a self-storage facility. Named U-Haul Moving and Storage of Southaven, it’s the first full-service U-Haul location in the city, according to a company press release.

The 6.5-acre property at 5375 Pepperchase Drive is just west of Interstate 55. Built in 1999, it includes three buildings comprising of 85,265 square feet of storage space.

Acquired by U-Haul in June 2014, the property currently features a temporary showroom offering truck and trailer rentals. Plans are underway to add self-storage, U-Box moving and storage containers, propane, and custom-hitch installations.

The opening of the Southaven store is being driven by U-Haul’s corporate sustainability initiatives, which support infill development to help local communities lower their carbon footprint, according to a company press release. U-Haul’s adaptive reuse of existing structures eliminates the amount of energy and resources required for new-construction materials and helps local cities diminish their unwanted inventory of unused buildings, U-Haul officials said.

Established in 1945, U-Haul International Inc. has more than 40 million square feet of storage space at more than 1,000 owned and managed facilities throughout North America.

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