Boardman Township, OH, Implements Regulations to Limit Self-Storage Development

Boardman Township, Ohio, a suburb of Youngstown, has implemented new limitations on the development of self-storage and car washes in the city due to concerns about oversaturation. There are currently six storage facilities in the area. Officials believe these businesses fail to generate significant employment or sales tax, according to the source.

“We have very limited commercial and industrial opportunities for vacant properties that are remaining, and we didn't want to see these types of uses,” said T.J. Keiran, director of planning and zoning. “Passive income doesn't generate much employment. Storage units don't generate sales tax. They both consume the land where the infrastructure exists without connecting to the infrastructure.”

Passed in August, the amendment takes effect this week. While it doesn’t ban development, it imposes stricter conditions for approval through the board of zoning appeals. Some of the stipulations for self-storage facilities include:

Existing businesses will not be affected, the source reported. This decision comes on the heels of a moratorium that went into effect in Beavercreek, Ohio, last month, banning self-storage development until Nov. 30.