Fluvanna Self Storage won unanimous approval from the Fluvanna County, Va., Board of Supervisors last week to expand the business to a 13.4-acre property about a mile away from its current location at 21 Burns Plaza in Palmyra, Va. The expansion will be built in three phases, with the first two providing additional storage space, according to Steve Tugwell, senior planner. A third phase would include a retail center fronting Lake Monticello Road; however, Carlos A. Burns, vice president of the self-storage business, told county officials the second phase of the project wouldn’t occur for at least 15 years, if ever, the source reported.

The board agreed to rezone the project site from agriculture to business. The expansion is necessary because the self-storage facility can’t keep up with demand, Burns told officials.

Although the project faced some opposition from local residents, the community and supervisors praised Burns for being responsive to requests. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen people work better together than on this project,” supervisor Trish Eager said.

Some residents raised concerns about the project’s proximity to homes, including Steve Carney, who opposed Burns’ plan for a dry-pond dam about 50 feet from his property line. During the meeting, Burns told supervisor Don Weaver he would screen the view of storage units from residents by planting evergreen trees as a buffer and having no lights on the side of the buildings closest to homes, the source reported.

“We’ve made a good-faith effort to meet the needs of our neighbors,” Burns told supervisors. The project includes several revisions based on community feedback, he said.

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