As the self-storage industry permeates our communities, it receives increasing attention from mainstream media outletsand not always favorably. As industry professionals, we should be aware of how self-storage is presented to the public. Media Watchdog is devoted to policing and summarizing general news coverage.
Neighbors Pitted Against Storage Expansion
Des Moines Registry, 4.14.07
A band of neighbors in Windsor Heights, Iowa, is opposing Budget Storages expansion plans to add new climate-controlled units. Under Iowa law, Budget Storage is allowed to develop property it owns. The only thing the city can do is set conditions on the project. Neighbors are concerned with storm-water management, noise and traffic. Concerns about the expansion are rooted in a history of problems including noisy deliveries at odd hours, litter and threat of flood.
Men Arrested for Self-Storage Break-Ins
The Independent, 5.14.07
Canal Fulton, Ohio, police arrested two men who broke into 20 self-storage units at AJ Mini Storage. Police arrested the men when an officer spotted a vehicle with keys in its ignition and bolt-cutters on the front seat. The alleged burglars, who were found on the property, were charged with possession of criminal tools and breaking and entering, both fifth-degree felonies. Police are investigating whether the pair may be tied to other similar crimes in Stark and Summit counties.
Berwick to Get New Self-Storage Business
Daily Democrat, 5.4.07
A 150,000-square-foot self-storage facility and 15,000-square-feet of commercial space are being planned for property along Route 4 near Berwick, Maine. The planning board approved the project under the condition the Department of Environmental Protection also approves it.
Manhattan Residents Look to Storage
Money, 4.23.07
With the average purchase price of a Manhattan, N.Y., apartment at $1.3 million, even closet space is too valuable to keep little-used or seasonal items. Residents are turning to self-storage facilities to stash goods, driving the growth of the industry in the area. For example, the customer base of Manhattan Mini Storage has increased by nearly a third over the past two-and-a-half years, and the facility has grown to 17 buildings from 13. Manhattan storage prices vary greatly, depending on the location of the facility and the size of the space. At Access, in Long Island City, Queens, a locker-sized space costs $20 a month, but at Manhattan Mini Storages flagship location that space costs five times more.
Developer Proposes Storage Facility for Wetlands
Times Herald-Record, 4.21.07
A Monroe, N.Y., developer is hoping to convince the local planning board to approve the construction of a self-storage facility on his land. The developer has been trying to build on the 38 acres of mostly wetlands for more than a decade. But with each year, the land grew wetter and each commercial project idea was rejected. Now the usable land has whittled down to 5 acres. Current zoning allows for a bank, warehouse or fast-food restaurant, all of which would create more noise and traffic than a storage facility.
University Uses Lottery for Summer Storage
Brown Daily Herald, 4.25.07
The Office of Residential Life of Brown University, Providence, R.I., accepted applications from students to participate in an online lottery for free vouchers for local summer storage. More than 600 vouchers worth $60 each were made available by lottery to redeem with East Providence-based Space Station Self- Storage. The vouchers were offered on the ResLife website and covered the cost of one of three storage packages offered by Space Station.
Operators Consider Auctions Unfortunate
The Times Express, 5.2.07
The manager of Route 286 Mini Storage in Plum Borough, Pa., was quoted as saying auctions happen with unfortunate regularity, a sentiment echoed by other operators of storage businesses in the East Suburbs. The Pennsylvania Self-Service Storage Facility Act provides the legal recourse for facilities to auction off items in storage units where the rental fee isnt paid. The number of newspaper legal ads is evidence of the problem facing stores throughout the suburbs despite the fact that customers are provided with verbal and written information about how to make payments and consequences for non-payment.