Greensburg, PA, Considers Allowing Self-Storage in Downtown Business District to Revitalize Old Buildings

The Greensburg, Pennsylvania, City Council next month will consider adding self-storage as an allowable use in the city’s business zoning district. Officials view the move as a proactive way to encourage the redevelopment of older buildings in the downtown area. Currently, self-storage is a permitted use only in the city’s industrial district, according to the source.

Among the structures officials believe are good opportunities for self-storage conversion is a former Troutman’s department store, which doesn’t have any windows on its upper floors and has sat empty for several years. “Over time, those types of large buildings will degrade,” planning director Jeff Raykes told the source. “We’re trying to be creative. We’re seeing some activity for self-storage in other communities’ downtowns.”

The Troutman structure is among seven downtown properties and other sites that will be reviewed for redevelopment by a “national team of real estate experts,” the source reported. That group will issue a report the city will use to hire a consultant, who will draft a master plan for the downtown area.

Source: Trib Live, Greensburg Eyes Expansion of Business Zoning to Include Self-Storage Units