Diplomat RV & Boat Storage, a 13.7-acre property designed for vehicle self-storage, will open in Cape Coral, Fla., in September. The facility at 2900 Diplomat Parkway E. is being developed by Andy Powell, executive vice president of Wright Construction Group Inc., husband-and-wife team Bruce and Beverly Grady, who are entrepreneurs and friends of Powell, and Joe Coleman, an attorney in Fort Myers, Fla.

The project is expected to cost $7.8 million. The partners put up a total of 15 percent of the project’s cost, and a bank provided 50 percent as first lienholder. A Small Business Administration 504 loan made up the difference.

Once complete, the facility will be one of the largest boat- and RV-storage facilities in the area, according to Powell, who pursued the project because he was unable to park his own RV at his home in Cape Coral, which forbids parking of recreational vehicles for more than 48 hours.

The site will comprise 86,000 square feet of storage space, including 204 spaces with canopy covers, five fully enclosed garages, and 221 open-air parking spaces that can be adjusted to size. Amenities will include a customer lounge with restrooms and showers, covered wash bay, gas service, sewer dump, large lockers, maid service, carpet- and upholstery-cleaning equipment, dry and wet vacuums, and air hoses. “This facility is going to be more upscale compared to most of the competition,” said Grady, a former mobile-home-park developer.

The facility will also include security measures such as an after-hours guard stationed in a caretaker house overlooking the entry gate, motion-sensor alarms and video cameras. The features will attract art collectors as well as owners of vintage automobiles and oversized commercial vehicles, said Grady, who expects the property to be leased within 18 to 24 months.

Originally, Grady had hoped to build a larger complex, but the city limited the project to 40 units per acre. A second phase to cover the asphalt spaces is in the works, the source reported.

Source:
Business Observer, Developer Targets High-End Clients With Storage Concept