Phoenix-based U-Haul International Inc. has converted a former Chinese restaurant in Cicero, N.Y., to self-storage. U-Haul Moving & Storage at Business Avenue II opened at 7803 Brewerton Road offering drive-up storage units. Plans are underway to convert the 5,053-square-foot restaurant building into a U-Haul showroom. The property operates in conjunction with U-Haul Moving & Storage at Business Avenue, which is nearby at 5600 Business Ave.
The facility also offers hitch installation and towing equipment, moving and packing supplies, propane sales, truck and trailer rentals, and U-Box portable-storage containers. The 1.28-acre lot has expansion room for additional U-Box containers. U-Haul has repaved the parking lot and added a new security system, according to a company press release.
"People started to stop while we were under construction to say how happy they were to see a property that had become an eyesore turn into something of value," said Mike Streeter, president of the U-Haul Co. of North Central New York. "When we officially opened, several customers even asked if we would have Chinese takeout. It made for a good laugh."
The opening of the Cicero property was driven by U-Haul’s corporate sustainability initiatives, which support infill development to help local communities lower their carbon footprint, the release stated. U-Haul’s adaptive reuse of existing structures eliminates the amount of energy and resources required for new-construction materials and helps local cities diminish their unwanted inventory of unused buildings, U-Haul officials said.
Established in 1945, U-Haul has more than 44 million square feet of storage space at more than 1,200 owned facilities throughout North America.
