Derrels Mini Storage Develops Self-Storage Facility in Visalia, CA, After Decade-Long Battle

After more than a decade of negotiations and litigation, California self-storage operator Derrel’s Mini Storage Inc. is finally building a facility at the corner of Goshen Avenue and Demaree Street in Visalia, Calif. The location will comprise about 200,000 square feet on 10 acres.

“It’s excellent visibility at the corner of two very busy streets, like Demaree, which is a main vein to serve the residents of northwest Visalia,” said Paul Ridenour, senior vice president of construction and development at Derrel’s. “It's been nonstop work for 11 years to get to this point.”

The company has owned the land since 1998 but was initially unsuccessful in changing the zoning to accept self-storage. The Visalia City Council approved a parcel zoning change in 2009, paving the way for the storage project, but a conditional-zoning agreement required the owners of all the properties located on the west side of Demaree to widen and improve the street along the proposed development.

Ridenour agreed to cover the $1.4 million project, which included widening the street, adding gutters and a sidewalk. All of the residents initially agreed, but homeowner Rose Ann Walker later changed her mind. Derrel’s eventually filed a lawsuit against the city, invoking eminent domain against Walker’s property and requesting permits to demolish the decaying houses that stood on the parcel where the storage facility is now being constructed.

The Demaree facility is expected to open during the summer of 2016. It will be Derrel’s 55th California location and third in Visalia. The company operates approximately 11 million square feet of storage space in about 72,000 units.