Officials in Windsor, Connecticut, approved a zoning change that’ll allow self-storage conversion projects in restricted commercial zones, though developers will still need to obtain a special permit and submit site plans. The move was prompted by a request made on behalf of Targeting Centre One LLC, which owns a 97,200-square-foot building at 1 Targeting Centre. Located within a restricted zone, the structure is one of several underused office buildings in the city, according to the source.
The building owner views the rezoning as a potential way to attract conversions of vacant structures to self-storage, though Targeting Centre One hasn’t committed to pursuing that route, the source reported. The company has been working with East Hartford, Connecticut-based consulting firm Gorman+York since 2022 on a feasibility study to find tenants for the office building or a financially viable alternative use for the space. The resulting study identified self-storage as the best use option for the building, followed by logistics and multi-family, according to the source.
Town planner Eric Barz acknowledged there is demand for self-storage and a need to repurpose unused office space but doesn’t necessarily think other property owners will seek conversions under the new zoning rules, the source reported.
The restricted zone that includes 1 Targeting Centre is fully developed except for one parcel and includes three hotels.
Source: Hartford Business, Windsor Zoning Change Would Allow Self-Storage in Underutilized Office Space