Phoenix-based U-Haul International Inc. is converting a former pharmaceutical-distribution center in Altoona, Pa., into a self-storage facility. U-Haul Moving & Storage of Park Hills at 1 Golfview Drive currently offers truck and trailer rentals, moving and packing supplies, and U-Box portable-storage containers. Renovations are underway to add about 400 climate-controlled storage units in early 2016, followed by a second phase and another 600 units, according to company press release. Security features will include individually alarmed units and video cameras.

The 7.5-acre property previously included a single-story, 115,909-square-foot building. The site is south of Interstate 99 in a commercial district near restaurants, Logan Valley Mall and the Park Hills Golf Club, the release stated.

"This location will be the absolute premier storage in Altoona and the surrounding area, including thousands of square feet of climate-controlled storage, drive-in loading and unloading," said Chris Schaffer, president of U-Haul Co. of Harrisburg.

The acquisition of the Altoona location was driven by U-Haul’s corporate sustainability initiatives, which support infill development to help local communities lower their carbon footprint, the release stated. 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 has more than 40 million square feet of storage space at more than 1,000 owned and managed facilities throughout North America.

Sources: