Self-Storage Development and Zoning Activity: November 2019

Update 2/26/20 – 31 Tonawanda St. received approval this week to build its two Secure Storage facilities in Tonawanda, N.Y. The $5.25 million projects will be designed by Carmina Wood Morris DPC, a New York-based architectural firm.

The converted radiator building will contain indoor, climate-controlled storage on each floor as well as 112 drive-up units. Construction is expected to begin by year end, with an opening in summer 2021, according to Ruh, who owns two Secure Storage facilities in Niagara Falls and Orchard Park, N.Y.

11/26/19 – CIG is facing opposition in its quest to build a few facility in Kenosha, Wis. District Alderman Rocco LaMacchia, residents and local self-storage owners voiced their concerns during a Nov. 21 planning-commission meeting. LaMacchia said that while he “never” votes against new development, he would reject this project. “All of the e-mails, phone conversations, text messages and Facebook comments—not one person likes this almost-five story building going up where it’s at. We feel the land could be used as something better,” he said.

The parcel is near the intersection of Green Bay and Washington Roads. The proposal calls for a 43-foot-high building, which is nearly twice the height of two neighboring businesses, the source reported.

11/20/19 – The global self-storage development pipeline continues to be extremely dynamic. Inside Self-Storage regularly covers new projects being planned and approved as well as zoning and other municipal issues. Following is more activity taking place in November 2019.

31 Tonawanda St. LLC, led by developers Wayne Bacon and Jack Ruh, intends to build a pair of Secure Storage facilities in the Black Rock neighborhood of Tonawanda, N.Y. The first is a conversion of the former Fedders Radiator building at 31 Tonawanda St. into a four-story, 75,000-square foot self-storage facility including a manager’s residence and two business suites. It’ll require two variances as well as remediation work through the state’s Brownfield Cleanup Program. The developers will need to replace the roof and metal cladding. They’ll also repair and repaint masonry and install new windows.

The other project, across the street, is a ground-up development of a 17,000-square-foot facility on 1.85 acres at 150 Tonawanda St. The land will need to be rezoned from rail to light industrial, which the planning board is expected to address in January.

Ruh and his wife already own two Secure Storage facilities in the Buffalo, N.Y., metropolitan market.

Central Southwest Texas Development LLC, an Austin, Texas-based commercial real estate development and investment company, is building a new facility in Dallas. The 2.4-acre property at 2500 Lone Star Drive is within a Qualified Opportunity Zone. Once complete, the three-story Lone Star Self-Storage will comprise 151,950 square feet in 1,255 climate-controlled units. Investment-management and real estate firm Jones Lang LaSalle Inc. arranged $7.5 million in construction loans and brokered the sale of the land.

Self-storage owners Tina Conti and Brad McHenry held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of a remodeling project at Sunrise Mini Storage in Fortuna, Calif. Improvements include new siding and exterior paint, new roll-up doors and enhanced lighting. Built in the late 1970s, the facility at 1799 Smith Lane comprises 60 units. It was acquired by Conti and McHenry in April. It’ll be managed by Six Rivers Property Management.

CIG Development intends to build a 122,295-square-foot facility in Kenosha, Wis. CIG Kenosha Self Storage would be on a 5-acre parcel at the southeast corner of 35th Street and 57th Avenue, in the Kenosha Pointe shopping center. A conditional-use permit for the project was rejected in August, but the planning commission will discuss it again this week. CIG Development is owned by Nickolas Zaderej of Chicago.

Covington Self Storage of Clayton is seeking approval to build a facility in Oakville, Mo. The St. Louis County Planning Commission was scheduled this week to discuss the proposal for the 4.4-acre site at 5419 Lemay Ferry Road. Another company had proposed building storage on the same parcel in 2017 but faced resident opposition.

San Diego-based developer Frontera Real Estate will build a self-storage facility on a 3-acre site in Riverside, Calif. The Palm Avenue site, acquired from David Peery of Kingsfield Development, is already approved for a storage facility comprising 77,000 net rentable square feet. Founded in 2015, Frontera specializes in self-storage, industrial and unentitled land acquisitions throughout the Southwest, with a primary focus in California.

Hampshire Real Estate Cos., a private real estate investment firm and self-storage operator, will develop a facility in Glen Cove, N.Y., on an Opportunity Zone. The $11.3 million project at 30 Sea Cliff Ave. will comprise 108,000 square feet in 800 units and be managed by Extra Space. Construction is expected to be complete before the end of 2020. Based in Morristown, N.J., Hampshire has repositioned or developed 33 self-storage facilities with an aggregate value of more than $440 million since 2012. It has several project under development across the Eastern United States.

Real estate developer Rosenblum Cos. opened a ValuSpace Personal Storage location in Halfmoon, N.Y. The three-story self-storage facility at 1607 U.S. Route 9 comprises 618 climate-controlled units and 114 drive-up units. The $9 million project is the company’s first in Saratoga County. Founded in 1979, Rosenblum develops, manages and owns commercial real estate properties in the Capital Region of New York. Its portfolio includes industrial, retail, self-storage, mixed-use and commercial office properties.

Shurgard Self Storage Europe SARL, the European affiliate of U.S.-based real estate investment trust Public Storage Inc., purchased land in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, on which it plans to build a new facility. Slated to open in late 2021, the location will comprise nearly 65,000 square feet in 800 units. Shurgard operates 236 self-storage facilities comprising 1.2 million net rentable square meters in Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

Siber Investments LLC is developing Concho Self Storage in San Angelo, Texas. The 116-unit facility at 909 W. Beauregard Ave. is expected to be complete by April 1. A portion of the project site was formerly a used-car lot, and some areas of the parcel were rezoned for commercial uses in February. Siber is led by Amberly Watkins, who also designed the $1.2 million facility.

Tilbury Mini Storage opened in Tilbury, Ontario, Canada. The facility at 20 Superior St. comprises more than 100 units, which are raised to prevent potential damage from heavy rainfall. It also includes wide drive aisles and a secure parking area for vehicle storage. It’s across from fire and police stations.

U-Haul is in preliminary talks to convert a former Sears at Lindale Mall in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to 140,000 square feet of storage. Robert Hampton, president of U-Haul of Eastern Iowa, presented the company’s plan to city staff on Nov. 12. Sears vacated the mall last year. The property is owned by real estate investment trust Seritage Growth Properties in New York City.

U-Haul also converted a former Kmart store in Shawnee, Okla., to self-storage. The facility at 2323 N. Harrison St. comprises 88,000 square feet of indoor storage in 702 units. The operator hosted a grand-opening event on Nov. 16 that included food, raffles and property tours.

U-Haul is repurposing an empty manufacturing building in Lexington, Ky., to storage. The 5.83-acre property at 2425 Merchant St. was vacated by ceiling-fan manufacturer Delta T Corp. five years ago. U-Haul Moving & Storage of Leestown Road has a temporary showroom while units are added to the 99,591-square-foot building. Units will be available for rent in spring 2020.

In addition, U-Haul is converting the former Cardinal Health facility at 501 W. Lincoln Trail Blvd. in Radcliff, Ky., to self-storage. The company purchased the 81,922-square-foot building in July for $1.47 million. Once the 9.3-acre property is complete, the facility will offer 620 indoor units.

11/13/19 – The global self-storage development pipeline continues to be extremely dynamic. Inside Self-Storage regularly covers new projects being planned and approved as well as zoning and other municipal issues. Following is activity taking place in November 2019.

Big Yellow Group PLC received approval to develop a new self-storage facility in London. The property will be built in the Queensbury area and comprise 58,000 net rentable square feet. Big Yellow operates 99 self-storage locations in the United Kingdom under the Big Yellow Self Storage and Armadillo Self Storage brand names, with most concentrated in Greater London and Southeast England. Its total portfolio comprises 5.7 million square feet.

Boulder Developments, a family business that owns Superfoil Insulation, converted the former Lincolnshire Co-Op Distribution Centre in Lincoln, England, to self-storage. Boulder Storage on Pioneer Way sits on 5 acres. It offers container storage, warehouse and office space, and outdoor vehicle storage. “The former food distribution center was a huge, vacant site when we purchased it, but we’re transforming it into a real hub for growing businesses,” said William Bown, director of Boulder Developments, “We’re really pleased to be bringing new life back to this important location in the city of Lincoln with our new business opening here.”

Bradfordville Self-Storage intends to build a climate-controlled facility on 5.28 acres in Tallahassee, Fla. The three-story structure at 3805 Bradfordville Road will have frontage along Velda Dairy Road and comprise 75,000 square feet. The first floor will feature 4,150 square feet of retail space.

Self-storage developers Ronald Fremin and Chris Genard are converting the former Butter Krust Bakery building in Corpus Christi, Texas, to self-storage. Construction on the $950,000 Butter Krust Storage project began in September and is scheduled to be complete in March. Built in 1938, the 75,000-square-foot structure at 2002 Ayers St. is a local landmark featuring large red lettering across the front. The developers acquired the property in August and intend to preserve the building’s façade. It housed the bakery for nearly 60 years but closed in 1997. Based in Louisiana, Fremin and Genard own multiple self-storage properties in the home state.

HPI Horne Storage, a joint venture between HPI Real Estate Services & Investments and self-storage developer Hugh Horne, completed construction on three multi-story facilities in San Antonio. All three were designed by Dallenbach-Cole Architecture, and will be managed and re-branded by different real estate investment trusts. The facility on Pearl Parkway will be operated by CubeSmart; the location at Potranco Road will be managed by Life Storage Inc.; and the Wurzbach Road site will be operated by Extra Space Storage Inc. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, HPI Real Estate is a full-service commercial real estate firm with additional offices in Dallas and San Antonio.

Jefferson Bennett Development Group is seeking zoning approval to convert a former Sears store in the Brunswick, Ga., Glynn Place Mall into a mixed-use project. Plans include indoor, climate-controlled self-storage, commercial space and 15,000 square feet of retail facing the mall interior. The Glynn County Mainland Planning Commission is considering the project.

The Jenkins Organization, a Houston-based developer and operator of more than 60 self-storage facilities in five states, opened Southlake Storage in Southlake, Texas, a suburb of Fort Worth. The three-story facility at 2030 E. Continental Blvd. comprises 104,000 square feet in 650 units. It also has a 1,300-square-foot front office. National design-build general contractor ARCO/Murray Design Build provided the architectural and engineering design, permitting, and construction. Austin Basher was the project manager.

Lumpkin Development, Live Oak Capital Partners LLC and MacArthur Holdings opened a self-storage property in Athens, Ga. The three-story facility at 300 Old Epps Bridge Road comprises 97,000 square feet in 740 units. It’ll be managed by CubeSmart and branded under its name. Griffco Design Build constructed the facility and BB&T Corp. provided the debt financing. Lumpkin operates 4 million square feet of commercial real estate in Alabama and Georgia. Family-operated MacArthur builds, owns and operates hotel, multi-family, office, retail and self-storage. Based in Atlanta, Live Oak Capital has acquired, developed and sold more than $100 million in commercial properties.

Matthew Development LLC completed construction on a self-storage facility in Rockledge, Fla. The three-story, climate-controlled building at 1935 Viera Blvd. comprises 100,000 square feet. Built by contractor MH Williams Construction Group, it’ll be branded and operated by CubeSmart.

Minimax Storage LLC opened Appleton Airport Mini Storage in Appleton, Wis. The facility at 7241 W. Prospect Ave. launched with two single-story buildings but will eventually feature 30 buildings offering 750 units. Minimax has two other self-storage facilities in Menasha and Neenah, Wis.

Public Storage Inc. is set to build a six-story facility in the West End of Alexandria, Va., with commercial space on the ground floor. The new building at 880 S. Pickett St., near Aslin Beer Co., will replace an existing structure, which served as the headquarters for the Boat Owner’s Association of the United States (BoatUS). Public Storage and BoatUS were co-applicants in requesting approval for a new Coordinated Development District, calling for the development of two buildings on the property. The second is intended to be a multi-family residential complex, which will require a special-use permit. Based in Glendale, Calif., Public Storage has interests in 2,468 self-storage facilities in 38 states, with approximately 167 million net rentable square feet. It holds a 35 percent interest in Shurgard Self Storage SA, which has 231 facilities in seven European countries, with approximately 13 million net rentable square feet.

Steve Richards, owner of Eastern Oregon Development LLC, received zoning approval last month from the city council to build a second location in Hermiston, Ore., despite the planning commission recommending a rejection of the proposal. The triangle-shaped, 9-acre parcel stretches between Northeast Fourth Street and U.S. Route 395. Richards plans to purchase 5 acres, leaving the land closest to the highway open. Although the planning commission had hoped to save the space for restaurants and retail, city council members decided to approve the request. Richards owns Highland Mini Storage in Hermiston and facilities in Pendleton and Stanfield, Ore.

SNL Development Group (SNL) is developing a 72,000-square-foot facility in Brooklyn, N.Y. Saperean Capital, the direct lending arm of Kayne Anderson Real Estate, provided the $23.5 million loan. It’s the first in a programmatic joint venture between the two firms, with two additional loans of nearly $100 million expected to close during the fourth quarter. Life Storage Inc. will operate the properties, which will include a second location in Brooklyn and one in Queens, N.Y. The facilities will total 259,000 net rentable square feet. SNL, together with its affiliate Safe N Lock Self Storage, has 25 assets either completed or in various stages of development. Saperean provides construction, value-add, bridge and term loans for senior housing, medical office, student housing, multi-family and self-storage.

Savannah, Ga.-based developer Swint Storage intends to convert a former Toy R Us store in Mobile, Ala., to self-storage. Built in 2005, the building will feature climate-controlled storage with drive-in access. The structure has been vacant since 2017. Swint acquired the property for $2.7 million.

Phoenix-based U-Haul International Inc., which operates more than 1,500 self-storage facilities across North America and frequently recycles existing structures for its new locations, is converting a former 101,354-square-foot Kmart store in Milton, Fla., to self-storage. Expected to be complete next summer, the facility at 6050 Highway 90 will contain 700 indoor climate-controlled units. Established in 1945, U-Haul owns and manages more than 62.5 million square feet of storage space nationwide.

An unnamed developer is seeking approval to convert the 20-year-old Shipleys Luxurious Bingo Club in Redditch, England, to self-storage. A mezzanine would be added to create two levels of caged storage. The plans also include incorporating an adjacent lot that has been vacant for six years.

New Sources:
Buffalo News, Self-Storage Wins Approval on Tonawanda Street
Buffalo Rising, Big Reveal: Self-Storage Facility Planned for 31 Tonawanda Street
Call Newspapers, Storage Facility Proposed Again at Ringer and Lemay Ferry
Digital Journal, Tilbury Mini Storage, New Self Storage Facility, Launches in Ontario, Canada
PR Newswire, Grand Opening: U-Haul of Shawnee Offers 702 Self-Storage Units
PR Newswire, Kentucky's Newest U-Haul Store to Offer 620 Storage Rooms in Radcliff
San Angelo Live, A Small Controversy Swells Over Who Really Owns Santa Rita's New Storage Units Now Under Construction
The Buffalo News, Self-Storage Planned for Two Tonawanda Street Properties
The Dallas Morning News, West Dallas Building Will Be One of Area’s First Opportunity Zone Projects
The Gazette, U-Haul Looks at Converting Lindale Mall's Vacant Sears Into Storage Space
The News Enterprise, U-Haul Converts Cardinal Health Facility
Times Standard, Fortuna Mini-Storage Business Has New Owners
Times Union, Self-Storage Facility Opens in Halfmoon
Commercial Property Executive, Hampshire Cos. Continues Self Storage Expansion
Kenosha News, Self-Storage Center Proposed
Inland Empire, Cushman & Wakefield Self Storage Practice Group Announces Sale of Development Site in Inland Empire
PR Newswire, U-Haul of Leestown Road to Give UK Students More Storage Options
Kenosha News, Housing Near UAW Hall Garners Support; Large Self-Storage Facility Opposed

Previous Sources:
Alexandria Living, New Self Storage Facility Under Construction in West End
Caller Times, Corpus Christi's Butter Krust Building Has New Owners and Will No Longer Sit Empty
East Oregonian, Hermiston City Council Disagrees With Planning Commission Over Mini-Storage Project
Lincolnshire Live, More Jobs on the Way as Self Storage Company Sets Up in Former Co-Op Site
Morningstar, Big Yellow Gets Planning Permission for New London Store in Queensbury
Post Crescent, The Buzz: 3 Openings and 2 Moves
PR Newswire, U-Haul Bringing Jobs, 700 Storage Rooms to Store near Pensacola
REBusiness Online, ARCO/Murray Completes 650-Unit Self-Storage Facility Near Fort Worth
Tallahassee Democrat, Moving Up, Moving Out: A Rundown of Business Comings and Goings for the Quarter
The Brunswick News, MPC to Consider Self-Storage in Old Sears
Viera Voice, Viera-Area Development Continues to Exceed All Expectations at Rapid Pace
WKRG, Former Toys R Us Property Sold to Developer
Worcester News, Plans Put Forward to Turn Shipleys into Storage Facility