Update 8/17/17 – Seattle officials are discussing a joint request from West Coast and Nucor Corp., a steel manufacturer, to vacate rights of way (ROWs) owned by the Port of Seattle, better align adjacent land parcels and accommodate West Coast’s proposal. Changing the ROW would essentially remove unused portions of two streets from the city’s formal street grid. The storage operator is under contract to purchase parcels at 3252 and 3310 Harbor Ave. with the intent to build a 103,000-square-foot facility with 850 storage units, up from an original estimate of 650.

August 17, 2017

3 Min Read
West Coast Self-Storage Proposes New Facility for Seattle

Update 8/17/17 – Seattle officials are discussing a joint request from West Coast and Nucor Corp., a steel manufacturer, to vacate rights of way (ROWs) owned by the Port of Seattle, better align adjacent land parcels and accommodate West Coast’s proposal. Changing the ROW would essentially remove unused portions of two streets from the city’s formal street grid. The storage operator is under contract to purchase parcels at 3252 and 3310 Harbor Ave. with the intent to build a 103,000-square-foot facility with 850 storage units, up from an original estimate of 650.

If the city agrees to vacate the ROW on portions of 29th Avenue and City View Street, West Coast would be able to combine both properties into a single building site, according to the proposal. The self-storage operator and Nucor, which owns adjacent property also affected by the ROW issue, have agreed to adjust the lot line “to what is already the functional boundary between the two [parcels].”

The combined areas targeted for altering the ROW comprise 27,204 square feet, with Nucor owning an affected parcel on the east side of 29th Avenue. It currently leases use of the ROW. West Coast is interested in 2,029 square feet of the ROW on City View. The steel company supports self-storage as a compatible use next to its operation, the proposal states.

In exchange for relinquishing the ROW, the city requires a public benefit. As part of its proposal, West Coast would make improvements to the curb and sidewalk fronting its property as well as portions of the Alki Trail. Benefits include landscaping, trail lighting, bollard removal and the relocation of power poles. The exterior of the self-storage structure facing Harbor Avenue S.W. would feature a series of artistic steel panels called “Motion,” depicting silhouetted people and bicycles moving toward Alki Trail.

Since Nucor isn’t proposing any new development, the company isn’t proposing its own public benefit but would contribute funds toward the property-frontage improvements, according to the proposal. The total cost of the West Coast public-benefit package is estimated at $305,000.

On Tuesday, the city council’s sustainability and transportation committee voted unanimously in favor of the joint proposal, according to the source. The full council is expected to vote on the issue in September.

5/22/17 – West Coast Self-Storage Group (WCSSG), which operates 36 managed and owned facilities in California, Oregon and Washington, has filed an application with the city to develop a new project in Seattle. The plan for the four-story facility at 3252 Harbor Ave. S.W. would include 600 to 650 storage units in varying sizes. The site would also contain 38 vehicle-parking spaces. An existing building on the property would need to be demolished, according to the source.

The facility will be designed by Magellan Architects, which previously designed two West Coast facilities—one in Seattle and another in Vancouver, Wash., according to the company’s website.

West Coast recently opened a new property in Auburn, Wash. The facility at 4424 A St. S.E. comprises 69,800 rentable square feet of storage space in 733 climate-controlled and drive-up units. It also includes 22 vehicle-parking spaces, a covered loading and unloading area, a retail store that sells moving and packing supplies, and security features. The site was built in a partnership with a company operating as WCSS Lakeland Hills A St Storage LLC.

WCSSG is a self-storage acquisition, development and property-management company headquartered in Mill Creek, Wash. Its portfolio of managed and owned properties includes 23 sites in Washington, seven in Oregon and six in California.

Based in Redmond, Wash., Magellan Architects offers architectural, interior design, planning and project management for commercial, educational, office, religious and residential developments.

 

Sources:

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