Guardian Storage Development Hits Facility-Development 'Speed Bump' in Bridgeville, PA

Guardian Storage, which operates 22 self-storage facilities in Colorado and Pennsylvania, has encountered obstacles in its quest to build a multi-story facility in Bridgeville, Pa. During a July 18 public hearing, the South Fayette Township Board of Commissioners informed the operator that the development doesn’t meet several critical requirements for the project, according to the source.

The proposal includes construction of a four-story, 27,000-square-foot facility on the lot of the former Kings Restaurant at 3049 Washington Pike. Patrick Cooper, the project engineer representing the developer, requested five “modifications” from the 20 site requirements.

“We think these 20 conditions were written in a different time of self-storage development,” Cooper said. “Self-storage used to be these one-story, metal buildings with garage doors all around them. The 21st century self-storage is not. It’s now compact, very expensive buildings, and garage doors aren’t around the bottom.”

One of the requirements not met by the proposal was building on a minimum 4-acre site. Guardian plans to build on just 1.3 acres. Other requirements pertained to the building’s height, the ingress and egress, perimeter fencing, and the addition of climate-controlled units.

During his presentation, Cooper noted the benefits the project would bring to the community. “What self-storage does for this site is it brings in more tax revenue than any other type of commercial use,” he said. “So, it would be a great thing for the township for tax revenue, and it generates almost no traffic. Every meeting I’m here, people are talking about the traffic on Washington Pike and this wouldn’t add to that, and the tax revenue would be two to three times higher than what else could go here.”

Township solicitor Robert Garvin informed Cooper that the requested modifications wouldn’t be considered by the board as they’re legally considered variances and need to be approved by the zoning-hearing board. “There’s no provision in our ordinance to grant waivers or modifications,” he said. “Your choice was to come to the township for conditional use, but this is something for the zoning-hearing board.”

Cooper opted to withdraw the development application at this time, but sought assurance from the commission for future support. He said he didn’t want to approach the zoning board for approval just to be rejected by the commission later. “If we’re going to be shot down, I’d like to know the answer tonight,” Cooper said.

The board didn’t provide a response, the source reported.

Established in Pittsburgh in 1987, Guardian Storage operates 17 facilities in Pennsylvania and five in Colorado.

Source:
The Almanac, Proposed South Fayette Storage Facility Hits Speed Bump