Phoenix-based U-Haul International Inc. is converting a former General Electric building in Plainville, Conn., to self-storage. U-Haul Moving & Storage of Pinnacle Rock at 10 New Britain Ave. officially opened last month. It currently offers moving and packing supplies, truck and trailer rentals, and U-Box portable-storage containers, according to a company press release. Renovations are underway to add 2,500 climate-controlled storage units inside the 183,711-square-foot building, which had been vacant for seven years. Hitch installation and towing equipment as well as propane sales will also be available.

The property will feature a drive-in loading zone and a gated area for covered vehicle storage that includes electrical and sewer hookups, the release stated. The facility will staff about 15 employees once the expansion is complete.

Pete Sciortino, president of the U-Haul Co. of Connecticut, worked with city officials on the acquisition. Will Cintas, former president of the U-Haul Co. of Eastern New York, is overseeing the construction. Cintas lives four miles from the facility.

"It's a great advantage for customers in this area who used to have to drive to New Britain or Waterbury for a full-service U-Haul store. This is an opportunity for us to come to the community and serve the community,” Cintas said.

The opening of the Plainville property 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 has more than 44 million square feet of storage space at more than 1,200 owned facilities throughout North America.

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