Real estate developer Timothy Wiskirchen received zoning approval on Sept. 30 from Clark County Commissioners to build a self-storage facility on 2.5 acres of land in Springfield, Ohio. The Clark County Rural Zoning Commission had previously recommended against rezoning the property at 6431 Springfield-Xenia Road, expressing concerns about water drainage, decreased property values and in increase in crime, according to the source.

Wiskirchen addressed these concerns during the meeting, reassuring commission members they were non-issues. He consulted with two engineering firms about the property’s drainage. The firms suggested he add a retention/detention area in the northwest corner of the property as well as use gravel instead of pavement for the surface areas to slow down water runoff, the source reported. Wiskirchen also noted the property was currently dry and may have been wet due to a soggy spring.

In addressing property values, Wiskirchen said half of the storage buildings would be constructed around the property’s perimeter to create a privacy wall for nearby residents. This would also allow more units to be built.

Wiskirchen consulted with two other self-storage operators in the area about recent crime. He reported the facilities had made six calls to police in the last year, two of which were for vehicle break-ins. The other four involved issues with late-paying tenants who were attempting to cut the locks off their units, the source reported.

Wiskirchen also noted the neighborhood has changed drastically in the past 40 years when it was zoned agricultural. Only one property in the area still falls under that category. Of the mile-long stretch of U.S. Route 68 that runs north and south of the property, 7,900 feet of the frontage is commercial and 3,200 feet residential. “This is no longer an area in which property owners desire to build new residences,” Wiskirchen said.

He also noted there was a high demand for self-storage in the area, and the facility would create as many as 15 new jobs.

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