Update 2/16/17 – Eastpointe Storage Center is expected to begin construction on MySpace Self Storage in the next few weeks, according to Mary Van Haaren, the city’s director of community and economic development. The company’s engineering review plans were finalized on Feb. 9. Construction is expected to be complete by next spring, Van Haaren told the source.

The Colonial Dodge site is a busy one for development. Used-car dealer DriveTime Car Sales will renovate the existing building on the west side of the property. Approved last fall, the DriveTime project is expected to begin within the next two months, Duchane said.

5/23/16 – Self-storage developer Eastpointe Storage Center LLC has received approval from the Eastpointe, Mich., City Council to build a MySpace Self Storage facility on the former site of the Colonial Dodge auto dealership on Gratiot Avenue. The council was in favor of the project despite a recommendation to reject it by the planning commission. Construction could begin in 30 to 45 days.

The project includes a partial conversion of the existing building along with the addition of four single-story buildings. “Their plan is to tear down a portion of the front of the existing building, which will be the centerpiece, and make it into an enclosed, secure storage site, and then build new buildings around it,” Steve Duchane, city manager, told the source.

Although city planners believed self-storage wasn’t an appropriate use for the corner lot and argued a facility could stifle development along Gratiot, the council believes the $4 million project could encourage other businesses to build in the area, the source reported. “We think right across the street, at the former [dealership] showroom, this could spur further development,” Duchane said. “The storage-facility project will be a very attractive building that will look more like office or retail use. And the company is talking about putting additional retail use on the site that may be related to the storage industry.” A rendering of the facility shows a UPS Store in addition to self-storage.

In a letter to the city, MySpace representative Todd Clark argued the site was challenging for other business types due to the presence of environmental contamination and the outdated structure. The car dealership operated for 43 years and closed in 2009. “However, we believe we have the ‘right stuff’ to properly redevelop the property and create a state-of-the-art, climate-controlled self-storage facility that is a credit to the community,” Clark wrote.

MySpace operates five self-storage facilities in Michigan, including one in Brighton and two each in Flint and Lansing.

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