Self-Storage Development and Zoning Activity: January 2024

Update 1/25/24 – 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 January 2024.

1784 Capital Holdings LLC, which acquires, develops, constructs and owns self-storage facilities, opened a new location in Norwalk, California. The three-story building comprises 128,095 square feet in 1,000 units. It’s branded and managed by self-storage real estate investment trust Extra Space Storage Inc. The project was designed and constructed by ARCO/Murray, which offers design-build and general-contractor services nationwide. Shajee Jamal served as the project manager. Headquartered in Salt Lake City, Extra Space owns or operates more than 3,500 self-storage properties nationwide and in Puerto Rico.

All Storage, which operates three facilities in Texas, opened a fourth in the state, in Fort Worth. The multi-story building at 12280 Trinity Crossing Circle comprises 210,000 rentable square feet in 1,639 units. It’ll be managed by Storage Asset Management (SAM), a property-management company based in York, Pennsylvania.

Amazing Spaces Storage Centers, which operates six facilities in Texas, opened a new location in Houston. The multi-story facility at 3130 Southwest Freeway offers climate-controlled storage and wine storage.

Asset Realty & Construction Group is building a self-storage facility in Rockaway, New York. Once complete, the six-story structure on Rockaway Beach Blvd. will comprise 135,719 square feet in 1,000 units. It’ll be branded and managed by Snap Box Self Storage, which operates 38 facilities nationwide. Asset Realty owner Dino Tomassetti Jr. purchased the vacant lot in 2016 and was later granted rezoning. As part of the approval, the facility must provide 88 underground parking spaces for community members.

Beehive Storage opened in Southborough, Massachusetts. The facility at 250 Turnpike Road comprises 64,675 square feet in 389 units. Owned by David Ferris, CEO of Ferris Development and Expedited Construction, it’ll be managed by SAM.

James Boyd has requested to rezone a 10-acre parcel at 475 S. Diamond St. in Mansfield, Ohio, to develop self-storage. The site is currently zoned for mobile homes and multi-family residences. The new facility would consume about a third of the property, with the rest held for future development. The planning commission unanimously voted to recommend the proposal, and a public hearing is scheduled for March 5.

Chestnut Realty Management is seeking approval to build a self-storage facility on a vacant portion of a 15-acre shopping plaza it owns in Hadley, Massachusetts. Plans for the Campus Shopping Plaza at 438-454 Russell St. include 82,500 square feet of storage on 5 acres. The property already includes Liquors 44, Stop & Shop and TJ Maxx. Chestnut purchased it for $27.2 million in 2022. Founded in 2012, the private real estate firm focuses on commercial assets.

Extra Space is seeking zoning approval to expand its facility in Old Bridge, New Jersey. The company submitted an application to the township zoning board of adjustment to construct a second three-story building encompassing 72,009 square feet at 1001 Route 9. The site contains an existing three-story structure comprising 102,315 square feet. A hearing is scheduled for Feb. 1.

Ferry Square LLC is seeking permission to convert a vacant warehouse at 294 E. Ferry St. in Buffalo, New York, to self-storage. Designed by Dean Architects, the project needs approval from the preservation board and zoning board of appeals. If approved, it’ll be branded and managed by Extra Space.

Go Store It Self Storage, which operates more than 80 facilities in 17 states, opened a new location in Las Vegas. The facility at 345 E. Ann Road comprises 78,000 rentable square feet in 717 units. Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, Go Store It is an affiliate of Madison Capital Group and specializes in the acquisition, development and management of self-storage assets nationwide.

Insite Property Group, the parent company of SecureSpace Self Storage, opened a new location in Philadelphia. The facility at 3114 Grays Ferry Ave. comprises 104,992 square feet. Based in Redondo Beach, California, InSite has more than 60 facilities operating or under construction.

Modern Storage, which operates eight facilities in Arkansas, is opening two locations in Little Rock. Opening this month, the facility at 3400 S. Shackleford Road will comprise 119,199 square feet in 577 units. The 10-acre property at 3402 S. Shackleford Pass will offer 35,200 square feet in 50 vehicle-storage units. It’s slated to debut next month.

Orcutt Self-Storage received initial zoning approval for its project in a new business park in Santa Maria, California. The 5-acre property on Foxenwood Lane will contain 12 buildings comprising 704 units. The 300-acre business park will contain 3.5 million square feet of developable space.

Sippican Holdings LLC, a real estate development and management firm, received approval to build a self-storage facility on the former Lockheed Marting complex in Marion, Massachusetts. Plans for the property at 13 Barnabus Road include replacing an existing building with a two-story structure comprising 20,000 square feet in 240 units.

Phoenix-based U-Haul International Inc. opened a new self-storage location in Apache Junction, Arizona. The three-story building at 3395 S. Idaho Road contains 900 units. The site also offers 144 covered vehicle-storage spaces. Established in 1945, U-Haul owns and manages more than 82 million square feet of storage space nationwide.

An unnamed developer is seeking approval to build a self-storage facility in Stratford, New Jersey. Plans for the property at 72 Berlin Road include a three-story structure. The site has an existing building that previously operated as an auto-repair business. It’s unclear if it’ll be converted or demolished.

1/11/24 – 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 January 2024.

600 Corporate LLC is seeking zoning permission to convert an office building it owns in Lebanon, New Jersey, to self-storage. A use variance is required for the 7.3-acre property at 600 Corporate Drive. The request was scheduled to appear before the land-use board on Jan. 9. 600 purchased the site in 2020 for $1.5 million from the Piedmont Operating Partnership.

U.K. self-storage operator Big Yellow Group PLC is seeking approval to expand one of its 47 facilities in London. Plans for the property at 1000 N. Circular Road, Unit 1, include a six-story building that’ll include 4,068 square feet of flexible office space. The site contains a car dealership that’ll be demolished. The existing storage building will remain open until the new structure is complete. Big Yellow operates more than 100 facilities under the Big Yellow Self Storage and Armadillo brand names, with most concentrated in Greater London and Southeast England.

Durant Magnolia Storage opened in Durant, Oklahoma. The facility at 10616 W. Highway 70 offers climate-controlled and drive-up units.

Developer Vick Singh Ghotra intends to build a self-storage facility on a vacant lot in Amherst, New York. The single-story project at 2495 Wehrle Drive will comprise 70,786 square feet.

Go Store It Self Storage, which operates 90 facilities in multiple states, converted a former office building in Pensacola, Florida, to self-storage. The original structure was built in 1972. The new two-building, two-story facility at 3670 N. L St. comprises 70,147 rentable square feet in 530 climate-controlled units. BenCo Construction was the project developer. Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, Go Store It is an affiliate of Madison Capital Group, which specializes in the acquisition, development and management of self-storage assets throughout the United States.

Insite Property Group, the parent company of SecureSpace Self Storage, opened a new location in Seattle. The multi-story facility at 2328 Harbor Ave. S.W. comprises 97,922 square feet. Based in Redondo Beach, California, InSite has more than 650 facilities operating or under construction.

Knickpoint Ventures is building a new self-storage facility in Miami. 36th Street Storage will comprise 98,488 rentable square feet in about 1,160 units. The company acquired the 1-acre site in 2022. It secured $18.3 million in construction financing from Bank Hapoalim, with assistance from Aztec Group, a real estate investment and merchant-banking firm.

Storage of America is pursuing two self-storage projects in Merrillville, Indiana. The facility at 7300 E. U.S. 30 would include eight buildings, while the one at 1213 W. U.S. 30 would include an office and warehouse in addition to self-storage. Both have received zoning-change approval from the town council, however, local officials are also considering a moratorium on storage development due to a high volume of applications. Storage of America operates locations across Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri and Ohio.

Storage Units Capital opened a new self-storage facility in Ocoee, Florida. Built on 3 acres, the structure at 9000 W. Colonial Drive comprises 79,605 rentable square feet in 766 units. It also includes two retail spaces on the bottom level and 30,000 square feet of office space on the fourth floor that’ll be occupied by the company and its affiliate, Rapid Construction Solutions. Based in Maitland, Florida, Storage Unit Capital is a real estate investment and management firm that specializes in self-storage. It has five projects under construction in Florida, which will increase its portfolio to 15 properties.

StorageMart, which operates more than 250 self-storage properties across Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States, opened a new location in Indianapolis. The multi-story building at 1215 E. Washington St. comprises 82,159 rentable square feet in 785 climate-controlled units.

StorageMart also opened a facility in Woodbridge, Ontario, Canada, its second in the city. The property offers 41,070 rentable square feet in 368 units but will be expanded to 89,635 square feet by spring 2025. Founded in 1999 and based in Columbia, Missouri, StorageMart has a portfolio of more than 24 million square feet.

True Storage, which operates more than 35 locations, has completed its conversion of the former Food Lion store in Conyers, Georgia, to self-storage. The facility at 994 Oglesby Bridge Road comprises 80,000 net rentable feet in 969 units. It’ll be branded and managed by real estate investment trust CubeSmart. Based in New Hampshire, True Storage focuses on ground-up construction and conversion projects. Its owned facilities are operated by third-party management companies.

VanWest Partners, a Denver-based investment firm that operates the ClearHome Self Storage brand, opened a new location in Longmont, Colorado. Situated on 6 acres at 10958 Weld County Road 5, it comprises 81,000 rentable square feet in 700 units and 46 vehicle-storage spaces. VanWest specializes in residential and commercial real estate acquisition, management and sales.

Verde Ranch Self Storage opened in Camp Verde, Arizona. The facility at 300 N. Goswick Drive features four single-story buildings offering climate-controlled and drive-up units.

WDA Design Group intends to develop a mixed-use complex at 161 Milk St. in Westborough, Massachusetts. Plans call for the conversion of a former roller-skating rink to self-storage, plus the construction of a two-story office building and single-story warehouse. The project will also include charging stations for electric vehicles and a solar canopy over the south side of the parking lot. A special permit was approved for the roller-rink conversion.

Nashville-based development firm Wedgewood Avenue received Metro Planning Commission approval for a self-storage project in the East Bank neighborhood. The five-story structure at 304 Oldham St. will comprise 150,000 square feet. Wedgewood is in the process of acquiring the 1.78-acre site, which is owned and occupied by BFC Properties LLC, an air-filter supply business. The development is expected to break ground during the third quarter. Though Davidson County historically has been resistant to self-storage and other commercial projects in favor of multi-family development, the Oldham site is less appealing for other uses because it’s in the middle of a large amount of interstate infrastructure and railroad tracks. Wedgewood has developed multiple self-storage facilities throughout Tennessee.

An unidentified developer intends to replace the vacated Crystal Bowl building in Crystal Lake, Illinois, with a three-story, 700-unit self-storage facility. The planning and zoning commission was split on the project but moved the application to the city council, which is scheduled to review it on Jan. 16. The development would require a land-use change and annexation at the intersection of Routes 176 and 31. It also needs a special-use permit for self-storage and outdoor storage, among other approvals.

New Sources:

Newswires, Amazing Spaces Sets New Heights in Storage with the Grand Opening of Texas' Tallest Ground-Up Storage Property
Buffalo Rising, Self-Storage Facility Proposed for Hamlin Park
NYREJ, Progress Capital Arranges $19.7 Million Construction Loan for Self-Storage Facility
Santa Maria Times, Self-Storage Facility to Lead Off Santa Maria Airport Business Park Development
KSBY, Santa Maria City Council Approves New Development Within Airport District
Daily Hampshire Gazette, Big Self-Storage Facility in Works for Part of Shopping Plaza Site Near Hadley-Amherst Town Line
The Wanderer, Lockheed Martin Site to Get Self-Storage
42 Freeway, Three Story Self-Storage Facility Planned for Stratford’s Berlin Road  
PR Newswire, U-Haul of Apache Junction to Host Grand Opening Friday
Globe Newswire, SecureSpace Announces Opening of New Self-Storage Facility in Philadelphia, PA
My Central Jersey, Self-Storage Facility in Old Bridge Plans Expansion
Richland Source, Mini-Storage Facility on South Diamond Street Moves Closer to Fruition

Previous Sources:
BizWest, ClearHome Self Storage Open in Longmont
Brent & Kilburn Times, Big Yellow Self-Storage Applies for Brent Cross Expansion
Community Advocate, Planning Board Approves Special Permit for Former Roller Rink
Daily Herald, Self-Storage Facility Proposed at Old Crystal Bowl Site in Crystal Lake, But Plan Commission Lukewarm
Digital Journal, Durant Magnolia Storage Redefines Self Storage in Durant, OK with State-of-the-Art Facility
Globe Newswire, SecureSpace Announces Opening of New Self-Storage Facility in Seattle, Washington
Harrow Online, New Six-Story Self-Storage Facility Could Be Build in Brent Cross Business Park
Lakeshore Public Media, Merrillville Council Concerned About Self-Storage Proliferation
Main Biz, Georgia Developer Will Build 750-Unit Self-Storage Facility in Auburn
Multi-Housing News, Go Store It Expands Florida Footprint
My Central Jersey, Hunterdon County Office Building May Be Converted Into Self-Storage Facility
Nashville Business Journal, ‘A needle in a haystack': Nashville Development Firm Receives Approval for East Bank Self-Storage Facility
Newswire, StorageMart's Growth in Ontario Continues with Latest Facility Launch in Woodbridge
PR Newswire, Storage Units Capital Opens New 766-Unit Self-Storage Facility Near Orlando
REBusiness Online, StorageMart Opens 785-Unit Self-Storage Facility in Indianapolis
Sun Journal, Climate-Controlled Self-Storage Unit Breaks Ground in Auburn
The Citizens, True Storage Converts Former Food Lion to Self-Storage
The Verde Valley Independent, Camp Verde Welcomes Verde Ranch Self Storage
WGRZ, New Climate Controlled Storage Facility Planned for Amherst Area