Phoenix-based U-Haul International Inc. is converting a former printing operation in Charlotte, N.C., into a self-storage facility. U-Haul Moving & Storage at Statesville Road at 3001 Boxmeer Drive officially opened in October and currently offers truck and trailer rentals as well as moving and packing supplies. In the coming weeks, it will add towing equipment and hitch installation as well as U-Box portable-storage containers, according to a company press release.
Renovations are underway for the 6.9-acre property, which includes six buildings totaling 102,000 square feet of space. U-Haul plans to add 1,200 interior storage units. Construction is scheduled to be completed in the spring.
The property was previously the headquarters of SPGPrints, a textile and graphics printer. The company vacated the site about a year ago. It also once housed Stork Prints America, which employed 350 employees in the late 1970s. The facility has its own water-treatment plant and multiple electrical services, the release stated.
"One of the benefits of the new store is that it offers support to the U-Haul neighborhood dealers in the area, and they will be able to send customers here for their storage needs," said Clint Shaw, general manager. "We are meeting a need and providing more jobs. That's always a plus."
The facility is accessible from Statesville Road, near Interstates 85 and 77, and a few minutes north of downtown, the release stated.
"This store offers a more convenient way for residents to do business with us," said Jason Hardin, president of U-Haul Co. of Charlotte. "It's a prime example of development and growth of retail in an industrial area."
The acquisition of the Charlotte plant was driven by U-Haul’s corporate sustainability initiatives, which support infill development to help local communities lower their carbon footprint, according to the release. 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.
