The city council in Anoka, Minn., last week unanimously approved a conditional-use permit for a self-storage conversion project after turning down several other proposed uses. The property at 500 Bunker Lake Blvd. has been vacant since 2011. In April, the council turned down a permit request from an asphalt company after neighbors voiced concerns about noise, traffic and possible odors. Residents near the site were notified of the conditional-use permit hearing for the proposed storage development, but none raised concern about the project, the source reported.
Dennis Sharp of Sharp & Associates plans to purchase the property, which includes a 10,700-square-foot building. The conversion will include retrofitting the existing building and adding seven new ones to house 202 climate-controlled units, some of which will be large enough for boat storage. The council reduced the setback from 50 to 30 feet to accommodate the new buildings, which will border the residential areas on the south and west sides of the property. In addition, city staff will work with Sharp on the architectural design for the new building that will face Bunker Lake Boulevard, the source reported.
City Planner Crystal Pauman told the source self-storage is a “low-intensive commercial use of the property,” which is the type of business the city had been seeking for the past eight months. Council member Jeff Weaver told the source there had been “angst” over the sale of the property. He also said broker Gary Dehn of Premier Commercial Properties has been working with the city’s planning commission to meet the city’s new standards for development, which were adopted by the council last month.
Sharp & Associates is a commercial real estate and property management company. In addition to managing several business parks, it operates Ramsey Mini Storage, a 210-unit facility in Ramsey, Minn.
Sources:
- ABC Newspapers: Anoka Approves Use for Challenged Property
