Facility in the Spotlight: Uncle Bob's Self Storage of Richmond, VA

Uncle Bob’s Self Storage opened in Richmond, Va., Oct. 2 with 102,000 square feet, 79,000 of which is rentable. Of Uncle Bob’s 622 units, 298 are climate-controlled. Another 210 units have Dri-guard humidity control, which helps prevent mold, mildew, mites, rust, paper rot, and degradation of wood by maintaining low humidity. The centrally controlled air system is continuously monitored for humidity levels.

The business is owned and developed by Sovran Self Storage Inc. and managed by Jessica Biurra, manager, and Laurie Horner, associate manager.
 
Construction Snapshot
General Contractor: Landmark Interest Corp.
Software Supplier: QuikStor
Security Supplier: DigiTech International Inc. (Chamberlain)
Architect: Edgecomb & Associates Inc.
 
More About the Facility

The property was purchased with an approved site plan, but was later significantly modified to better reflect Uncle Bob’s design criteria and specifications. The design of the various buildings incorporates a great deal of residential features such as asphalt shingle roofs, brick faces, stucco facades and multiple windows. This allowed the project to fit in well with the existing businesses and surrounding homes.

The immediate area (1 to 2 miles) is highly developed commercial and retail with a small percentage of residential. The area also includes many strip malls, restaurants and large box retailers. Hull Street is a heavily traveled major thoroughfare that’s exploding with new development, both business and residential. Chesterfield County has relatively new growth with more planned.

In the Richmond market, this is the first ground-up facility for Uncle Bob’s Self-Storage and Landmark’s second development.  The facility has an approved site plan for a 40,000-square-foot phase-two expansion, which will begin upon stabilized leaseup of the existing facility.

To help attract and retain commercial customers, Uncle Bob’s offers a professional conference room for business meetings. The facility also features individual door alarms, an intercom system, keypad security system restricting floor access to approved users, a state-of-the-art security system that allows managers to monitor customer activity, free truck use, and a full suite of moving and storage merchandise.

“We’re excited about the look and feel of our newest location,” says Sovran CEO Robert J. Attea. “Built with the community in mind, our newest location doesn’t look like a traditional storage property. Rather, it resembles an office building or extended stay hotel.”   

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