Update 8/9/18 – Storage by George in Napa has completed its expansion. The facility now has an additional 340 storage units in a range of sizes. All are ground-level and some are climate-controlled.

“These specially designed units are ideal for furnishings, artwork, fabrics and inventory requiring a constant temperature range,” according to a company press release.

9/14/17 – After nearly two years since he first applied for zoning approval, Cohen has begun his self-storage expansion project on Golden Gate Drive. Construction crews are currently grading the land and installing underground pipes, according to the source. Though the planning commission approved the design-review permit in January 2016, work on the project only recently commenced.

In its design review, the commission asked for additional landscaping to serve as a buffer between the facility and Golden Gate Drive as well as Highway 29. The expansion won’t include any additional wine storage to what’s already available at the existing facility, the source reported.

9/23/15 – George Cohen, owner of Storage by George, is seeking zoning approval to expand his existing self-storage facility in Napa, Calif. Cohen hopes to build four buildings immediately south of his property at 1135 Golden Gate Drive.

The 37,000-square-foot expansion will include 341 storage units and cost an estimated $2.5 million, Cohen told the source. It will feature a range of unit sizes as well as climate-controlled and traditional units.

Since the parcel is currently zoned light industrial, the project only requires a design review, according to Michael Allen, Napa’s associate planner. Because the site is at the city’s southern entrance, Allen wants to “ensure it provides an aesthetically pleasing appearance.” Allen reviewed Cohen’s design plan and believes it will work with a few changes and additional landscaping, he said. “The existing facility is one of the more attractive storage facilitates you will find.”

The expansion is being driven by Napa’s growth and the need for more storage, Cohen told the source. “Unemployment is down, business is up,” he said, noting the development of new homes, hotels and shopping centers.

Storage by George also has a number of commercial tenants, such as carpenters, home stagers, plumbers and wine businesses. Self-storage offers these customers a de facto small-business incubator, Cohen said.

Cohen purchased the parcel in 1998 and proposed building a mixed-use project in the late 90s that would include self-storage and a 133-room Marriott Courtyard hotel. The city rejected the proposal, saying it preferred any new hotels to be built in the downtown area. After two applications, Cohen removed the hotel portion of the development and received approval. The facility was expanded again in 2003, adding 28,500 feet of climate-controlled storage to include a new service, Napa Valley Wine Storage.

If approved, construction will begin soon and is expected to take about five months, according to the source.

Sources:
Napa Valley Register: Storage By George Plans $2.5 Million Expansion
Napa Valley Register: Storage by George Expanding Facilities in South Napa
Napa Valley Register, Biz Buzz: Storage by George Announces 340 New Storage Units in Napa