Circle Development Co. to Build Boston Self Storage in Revitalized Newmarket District

The Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) has approved plans for a six-story self-storage project in a former industrial area of the city’s South End neighborhood. Cincinnati-based developer Circle Development Co. submitted its proposal for Boston Self Storage last year. The $12 million project at 274 Southampton St. will comprise 82,500 rentable square feet and cater to residents and small businesses, according to the source.

The facility, designed by Peter Quinn Architects LLC, will include sustainability features such as 8,000 square feet of rooftop space for solar panels. The building is expected to produce 108,000 kilowatt hours annually, about half of its expected electricity needs, the source reported. The developer believes its environmental features will make the facility eligible for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

The project will also include 19,000 square feet of “fabrication space” preserved for experimental manufacturing by local entrepreneurs, the source reported. The move is aimed at integrating the storage business with recent changes to the area. The facility will be within the Newmarket Industrial-Commercial (NIC) Neighborhood District, which historically has been the center of Boston’s distribution, food-processing and other light-manufacturing industries. The area was rezoned by the BRA in January 2014 and is now populated by “core public/private services; professional, scientific and technical businesses; and healthcare facilities,” the BRA website states. “Moving forward, the NIC district seeks to integrate innovative and environmentally friendly businesses, and create a diverse and expanding workforce.”

The self-storage facility will be near the upscale Red Dog Pet Resort and Spa, owned by Raymond Schneider, who is also president of Circle Development. The entrepreneur is also president and CEO of Grasshopper Investments LLC, a Cincinnati-based developer and self-storage business, which operates seven storage locations in the Cincinnati area, according to Schneider’s LinkedIn profile.