Update 11/14/17 – Las Vegas-based XYZ.com LLC, a Web registry specializing in top-level domains (TLDs), has acquired the .storage suffix from SSC. The company opened priority registration for trademark holders on Nov. 6 on a first-come, first-served basis; an early access, public-priority period will run Nov. 28 to Dec. 5. General availability for the public to secure .storage Web names will begin on Dec. 5 for an expected monthly fee of $79, according to a press release.

During the trademark-holder period, single-letter domains such as i.storage, geographic names like newyork.storage, and keyword domains such as online.storage are available for a “standard fee.” No verification is required, the release stated.

To gain traction, XYZ is offering a “complimentary white-glove website migration service” valued at $10,000. “The transition from the old domains to .storage URLs follows Google’s best practices and takes under one week to complete,” the release stated. “Existing search engine rankings, SEO scores and e-mails are all maintained, while businesses enjoy a boost to their branding and online presence from their new .storage domains.”

XYZ indicated it purchased the .storage TLD in May, though the registry agreement with ICANN was transferred from SSC to XYZ on April 18. Extra Space initially paid ICANN $185,000 for the TLD, and XYZ acquired it for “millions of dollars,” Shayan Rostam, global director for XYZ, told a source. The .storage domain is the company’s 10th TLD, following .xyz, .car, .college, .rent, .security and .theatre, among others.

The company will target the TLD to businesses and professionals within the data and physical storage sectors. “XYZ brought innovation and choice to the Internet when we launched .xyz in 2014 as the domain ending for every website, everywhere. With businesses and individuals now using .xyz in over 200 countries, I had the confidence to acquire and launch .storage as the authoritative platform for an $80 billion per year industry,” said Daniel Negari, CEO of XYZ.

By owning the domain suffix, XYZ essentially acts as a wholesaler that sells the rights to use its TLDs through retail domain registrars like GoDaddy.com, MarkMonitor Inc. and others, Rostam said, noting that 700 entities have registered to use the .storage suffix.

“The recurring revenue stream generated by .storage and all of our other domain extensions, ultimately allow for us to reinvest in .xyz to boost awareness and adoption worldwide,” Negari wrote in an online newsletter post.

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9/8/16 – Following the first two phases of registration, SSC has opened .storage domains to self-storage operators and other storage-related businesses. The storage-industry phase will remain open through Jan. 3 before the general public will be allowed to register under the domain beginning on Jan. 10, according to a press release.

Self-storage businesses that have already claimed .storage domains include Budget Moving & Storage in Kernersville, N.C.; Cheapo Self Storage in Burlington, N.C.; and W-Ave Storage in St. Louis.

Through the Founders Program and Trademark Sunrise Period, several large brands have also registered domains, including Apple, Amazon Technologies, Hitachi, Home Depot, IKEA, Microsoft and Walmart, the release stated.

“We saw some significant global and household brands register their names on the .storage domain during the brand phase,” said Paul Yoachum, chief marketing officer for SSC. “Now our focus is turning to storage-related businesses and industries. With the dwindling number of available .com sites, this is a great opportunity to get a more recognizable website address that can help with awareness, marketing and online exposure.”

In addition to self-storage, sectors eligible for registration include cold storage, data storage, energy storage, food storage, gun storage and warehouse storage, among others. Pricing for domains during the storage-industry phase include an application fee to cover the review of applications to “ensure storage-industry relevance,” according to the release.

Though retail pricing will be set by individual registrars when general availability begins Jan. 10, standard domains will start at $54.99.

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6/2/16 – Self Storage Company LLC (SSC), a subsidiary of publicly traded real estate investment trust Extra Space Storage Inc., has invested in the Web-domain extension .storage and begun offering it to companies through a Founders Program. Self-storage operators can sign up for the domain through the domains.storage website, branded as “.STORAGE.”

The code suffix is similar to common Internet URL domains such as .com, .gov and .net. Known as “top-level domains,” the new extensions tend to be industry- or action-specific. Companies such as Amazon and Google have been active in acquiring the rights to such domains as the availability of .com and other common suffix addresses have become crowded or scarce. For example, Amazon has control of .book and .buy, while Google Registry controls .ads, .app, .eat, and .fly among others. Registered domains belonging to other companies include .health, .info, .news and .porn, according to a list published by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).

SSC acquired registry control of the .storage domain in 2014. Extra Space also owns the rights to .extraspace, according to ICANN.

Control of the suffix enables SSC to sell domain addresses to self-storage operators through registrars like GoDaddy.com or register numerous URLs for Extra Space to maximize its search-engine visibility to potential customers, the source reported. Extra Space could also decide to offer .storage websites to other types of storage companies that offer cloud, data and other storage services, according to Jan Pretorius, senior director of strategic initiatives and business development for Extra Space.

“There’s a lot of uncertainties,” Pretorius told the source. “It’s too early to say how this will play out. I don’t think we know enough to know where all of this is going. It’s still developing.”

For now, SSC has outlined a four-stage approach to the domain on domains.storage. “Before launching to the storage industry or to the public, .STORAGE will be inviting companies to take part in a Founders Program. This program will allocate a number of attractive .STORAGE addresses at no cost to companies who wish to be amongst the first to have their own .storage domain name,” according to information published on the site.

The Founders Program “offers storage companies the opportunity to be an early mover by claiming attractive .storage domains before they become available to industry peers,” the website says. The program was launched April 1and will be available through Aug. 30.

A “Trademark Sunrise Period” will run July 1 to Aug. 30. This phase will be “open to members of the storage industry. Participants can get domains relevant to their business and brands. Others may be considered on a case by case basis,” according to the website. A “Storage Industry Phase” is scheduled to run Sept. 1 to Dec. 30, which will be followed by general availability to the public beginning on Jan. 2.

Headquartered in Salt Lake City, Extra Space owns or operates 1,371 self-storage properties in 37 states; Washington, D.C.; and Puerto Rico. The company’s properties comprise approximately 910,000 units and 103 million square feet of rentable space.

Extra Space Storage Inc., a self-storage real estate investment trust (REIT) and third-party management firm, has purchased Lock-It Lockers in San Diego for $15.4 million. The property at 1560 Frazee Road has been rebranded under the company name.

Located in the Mission Valley area, the facility is near residential and commercial properties. It comprises 56,700 net rentable square feet of storage space in more than 750 units. Property features include 24-hour access, electronic gate access, outdoor vehicle parking and a business center. The site also has a cell tower.

The seller, who developed the property, was represented in the transaction by Dean Keller, president of Bancap Self Storage Group Inc., a real estate firm with more than $1.35 billion in storage sales. The company has specialized exclusively in self-storage properties for more than 30 years.

Headquartered in Salt Lake City, Extra Space owns or operates 1,513 self-storage properties in 38 states; Washington, D.C.; and Puerto Rico. Its properties comprise approximately 1.03 million units and 114 million square feet of rentable space.

What’s the difference between a human and a goldfish? Besides the obvious, recent data shows humans have a shorter attention span at only eight vs. nine seconds.

Due to the nature of our increasingly digitized lives, you now have less time than ever to catch the eye of your self-storage prospects. That’s why this has become the year of video marketing. With so many stimuli and distractions pulling at your target audience, you need to ensure your information is easy to digest. How? By making it more interactive and visual. Video not only accomplishes this goal, it can help your facility rank higher in online searches.

Do It Now

If it isn’t already, video will become a crucial element of your marketing strategy. Did you know that by 2020, 82 percent of all mobile traffic will be video? It’s one of the fastest growing forms of marketing available. Soon it will no longer be a question of if you use video but when. The time to start is now.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video is worth a million. It gives you an opportunity to showcase your company’s personality and unique value proposition. For example, StorQuest Self Storage recently created a 30-second video of surfer Kelly Slater discussing why he stores his surfboard collection. It emphasizes the company’s brand and motto—to “make room in your life for awesome”—and projects an active persona. It also prompts the viewer (a prospective customer) to think about our industry differently by promoting the use of long-term storage as an extension of the home.

Fortunately, video is no longer restricted to large companies with a robust marketing spend. The barrier to entry is lower than ever with new platforms and do-it-yourself tools that can help businesses churn out professional-quality content on a tighter budget.

Optimize It

After you’ve created your video, to get it found on the Web, you need to optimize it. Platforms like YouTube and Facebook can help. YouTube is the second largest search engine after Google, processing more than 3 billion searches a month. And since its owned by Google, the videos on this site rank favorably on search engine results pages (SERPs). Facebook is another great place for video. As the largest social media site, its users watch more than 8 billion videos, or 100 million hours of video, every day.

Following are some things you can do to make the most of these sites and ensure your video ranks high in online searches.

On YouTube

Research video keywords. This is something you can do prior to creating a video that will go a long way. The trick is to determine the keywords that produce YouTube video results on the first page of Google. The types of videos that usually appear on the SERP include how-tos, reviews and tutorials.

Make the most of metadata. First, you want to focus on your video title. It should be a few words long and include the keywords you’re trying to target. Next, you’ll create a heavily detailed description that includes key points from the video and uses targeted keywords. This should be like a short blog post so YouTube and Google can crawl your content, understand the video and rank it accordingly. Finally, you’ll add relevant tags to help categorize your video. These tags can be single-word, multi-word (long-tail keywords) and broad-term (relating to a broader topic). Aim to add 10 to 20.

Create a call to action (CTA). After someone has watched your video, you have his full attention, so add a CTA with a link to keep him engaged and potentially convert him into a customer. You can do so by adding a “card” to your videos with a link to your website.

On Facebook

Grab attention. Native Facebook videos begin to play the moment users scroll through their feed. The goal is to develop compelling content that will capture your prospect’s attention immediately. And it should be short. Facebook and Nielsen Media Research have reported that as much as 47 percent of the value in a video campaign is often delivered in the first three seconds, while up to 74 percent of the value is delivered within the first 10 seconds. Also, choose an enticing video thumbnail to capture attention.

Make it mobile-friendly. Since most Facebook scrolling occurs on mobile phones, make sure your video is optimized for smaller screens. Test out vertical and square videos that take up more screen space.

Use subtitles. Eighty-five percent of users never turn on the sound; and mobile phones will only auto-play sound if the phone isn’t on silent mode. This is why you should use subtitles or create a video that conveys your story silently. Captions have proven to increase view time by an average of 12 percent.

Add a CTA. While Facebook no longer has the CTA functionality for videos, you can add a link in your copy or via text overlay. Having a CTA is a great way to increase engagement, drive traffic to your website and create leads.

Without incorporating video into your marketing, your self-storage facilities risk losing potential leads. Since video production has become more accessible and affordable, consider implementing video as part of your strategy.

Ashleigh Hinrichs is the marketing campaign manager at G5, which provides Digital Experience Management software and marketing services to the self-storage industry. The company’s offerings include responsive-design websites, search engine marketing, social media, reputation management, lead tracking and management, analytics, and client-performance management. For more information, call 800.656.8183; visit www.getg5.com.

Update 11/13/17 – Though Ferndale councilmembers and city staff expressed reservations about imposing a six-month ban on self-storage development during a Nov. 6 meeting, the council approved the moratorium. A public hearing on the ordinance is required to be held within 60 days of its adoption, according to the source.

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11/7/17 – The Ferndale, Wash., City Council was expected to discuss a staff-recommended “emergency moratorium” on self-storage development during its meeting last night. The proposed six-month ban would apply to the “submission, acceptance, processing or approval of any permit or land-use applications related to storage, mini-storage or similar uses,” according to the source.

The proposal indicates the “potential proliferation of storage operations threatens the existing and planned character of the General Business zone, specifically along Portal Way.” City staff also cited a lack of new jobs created by storage properties in its assessment.

The city is processing several self-storage development applications, with at least four pending, the source reported. One of those projects was submitted by Doug Scoggins, owner of Pioneer Post Frame Inc., which specializes in commercial, agricultural and personal storage buildings, according to its website.

Scoggins already operates “several storage-facility buildings” on Portal Way and recently proposed a new facility on 20 acres of land along the street. The property has already been cleared in preparation for a business park and food-manufacturing facility, but the latter appears to have backed out of the plan, the source reported.

The Scoggins proposal and others already in the review process would be considered “vested” and not subject to the temporary ban if it’s passed, according to Jori Burnett, community-development director for Ferndale. “The moratorium is focused exclusively on the acceptance of applications for new projects,” Burnett told the source.

In September, officials in Federal Way, Wash., imposed a one-year ban on new self-storage development. Several cities across the nation have enacted similar moratoriums to curb storage projects. Other incidents in Washington include a six-month ban passed in August in Poulsbo and a previous six-month moratorium in Shoreline.

Update 11/13/17 – Bell Self Storage Group received approval from the Scottsdale Planning Commission to build its two-story project. The 4-3 vote on Nov. 8 came after the developers agreed to a reduce the facility’s height to 18 feet. Commissioners Ali Fakih, Smith and Kelsey voted against the project, according to the source.

“We agreed to lower the building to 18 feet and they stipulated us to do that,” Rose told the source in a Nov. 10 e-mail. “It was a productive discussion, and we are going to continue working with the two adjacent neighbors.”

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11/9/17 – Bell Self Storage Group is facing opposition from residents in its quest to build a two-story facility in Scottsdale, Ariz. The Scottsdale Planning Commission tabled the company’s zoning application with a 5-1 vote during its Oct. 25 meeting, after several community members spoke out against the proposal for the vacant lot on the southeast corner of 116th Street and Shea Boulevard. The commission was expected to re-address the request at its Nov. 8 meeting, according to the source.

Developers George Bell Senior and George Bell Junior are in escrow to purchase the 4.6-acre site, which has been vacant for 18 years. The application, presented by Jordan Rose, founder and president of Rose Law Group PC, is seeking a zoning change for 2.8 acres. It also requests an amendment to the general plan’s zoning-district map for the entire parcel. The city council will discuss the general-plan change during its Dec. 5 meeting.

The facility would comprise 106,224 square feet of storage space in 700 climate-controlled units and include a basement. Originally, the plan proposed a 20-foot-tall structure, which is 2 feet over the permitted height.

Residents who oppose the project said they’re concerned about their home values and questioned whether the area needed another storage facility. They also had issues with the facility’s height.

Dana and Vickie Falen, whose backyard abuts the property, said the facility would block their view of sunsets and disturb their quality of life. Vickie Falen presented a picture of her husband, who’s a paraplegic, in their backyard watching a sunset. “This is what he does every single night. He goes in our backyard to look at sunsets,” she said.

Falen noted that residents met four times to discuss the project, but no one representing the developer attended. Rose said she attempted to contact both homeowners whose property abuts the site. She also received a letter on Oct. 25 from lawyers representing the homeowners’ association. Three open houses, in June and September, have been held by the applicant or the city to discuss the project, the source reported.

Commissioners Larry Kush, Christian Serena, Prescott Smith and Kelsey Young expressed concern about the development. “I’m kind of torn as to what to say about this proposal,” Smith said. “I’ve discussed with both sides of the fence, no pun intended. There’s clearly a disconnect between neighborhood and applicant.”

Any development on the property could obstruct the views, commissioner Kevin Bollinger said. “Either way it’s going to go away because the land is there; it’s going to have a building built,” he added. “It’s an opportunity, in my mind, to see Mr. Bell taking as much care and stipulation.”

Rose noted the storage facility would have minimal traffic compared to other uses, such as a charter school, daycare or office building. She also said the area is in need of more storage. “The Bells hired a national consultant, and the national average is 6.82 square feet of storage per person. Scottsdale has just 4.83 square feet of storage per person,” she said. “The area population demand is 10 square feet per person. The four other storage sites within three miles are well above average occupancy rate.”

The property would be “state-of-the-art” and include up to 50 security cameras, said George Bell Senior, a real estate broker and Scottsdale resident since 1969. The opposition to the project was upsetting, he said. “We’re not dumping dirt on your property there. We’ve got a guy who put up an illegal tower on someone else’s property, so don’t impugn my integrity. I’m here to build something nice, and you really hit me,” he added.

Rose e-mailed the source on Nov. 7 noting the Bells planned to forgo their request to extend the building’s height to 20 feet. They would also design the property under the current standards for office buildings. “We will develop with the currently permitted height [of 18 feet]. We are happy to take that issue off the table, and glad the neighbors gave us the opportunity to hear that concern and react to it,” she wrote.

The Bells will also deed-restrict the site, which would restrict the land-use to storage unless approved by the two adjacent neighbors. In addition, no lighting will be installed on the east and south sides of the building. However, Tim Curtis, a member of the planning staff said security lighting would likely be needed on all sides.

Phoenix-based U-Haul International Inc., which operates nearly 1,000 self-storage locations across North America, plans to convert a Dayton, Ohio, office building to self-storage. The purchase of the property at 360 S. Main St. is expected to close on Dec. 12, according to the source.

The 83,000-square-foot structure is near U.S. Route 35, adjacent to a McDonald’s fast-food restaurant and across the street from Community Tissue Services, a provider of services to donor families and medical communities. The site is owned by Cincinnati-based McDay Ltd., which is being represented in the transaction by Charlie Hewitt, a leasing agent with real estate firm Crest Commercial Realty.

Last year, U-Haul completed a similar project at 3936 Salem Ave., also in Dayton. The transformation of the former shopping plaza adjacent to U-Haul Moving & Storage of Harrison Township added 10,026 square feet and 138 units to one of the company’s existing sites.

U-Haul converted another shopping center in Dayton to self-storage in 2015. The property at 234 and 240 N. Springboro Pike once housed Dick’s Sporting Goods and an h.h. gregg Inc. appliance store.

The operator has other conversion projects under development in several states. The projects are driven by the company’s corporate sustainability initiatives, which support infill development to help local communities lower their carbon footprint, according to company officials. 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, officials said.

Established in 1945, U-Haul owns more than 28 million square feet of storage space.

 

By Frankie Frank

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if all your self-storage tenants were conscientious and paid their rent every month—on time? Unfortunately, we know this isn’t realistic. However, there are ways to cut down the time it takes to collect rent and put the responsibility squarely on the customer, where it should be. One way to ensure payments go smoothly is to educate the customer about his options and offer him choices from the get-go.

Eye on the Ball

Once you’ve helped the customer find the perfect unit, it’s time for him to review and sign the rental paperwork. It’s important to explain just enough—but not too much—so he hears what’s most important.

There are operators who insist on giving renters all the negative news about fees, auctions, etc., at the very beginning of their presentation. But put yourself in the customer’s shoes. Can you imagine anything more unpleasant than hearing the storage company you just chose to rent from is going to sell your belongings if you don’t pay your rent? While this needs to be conveyed, hammering the point right out of the gate puts the brakes on the listening process. Instead of grasping what’s most important—i.e., paying the rent—the customer will keep hearing in the back of his mind that you’re going to sell his stuff.

Clear communication with tenants from the beginning will educate them about your expectations. When presenting the rental paperwork, it’s common sense to simply cover the key points. If you overload them with so many details that their head is spinning, they’ll tune you out.

It’s also important to consider the age of the person in front of you and adjust your presentation accordingly. Millennials, 40-somethings and senior citizens don’t live the same lifestyles. They aren’t going to do most things the same way, and that includes paying their bills. Offering a variety of payment and reminder options lets each tenant choose what works best for him, and can be the impetus to successfully collecting rent each month. Everyone on your team should be trained to deal directly with customers and concisely present each option.

Payment Options

Here’s a breakdown of payment options you can offer to customers:

• Prepayment: This is a wonderful option for anyone planning to store long-term. Offering discounts for prepaying multiple months can be a great incentive. Just remember that any prepaid rent may need to be refunded if the tenant vacates prior to the end of the anticipated term.
• ACH autopay: This option carries roughly 10 percent of the processing fees of using credit cards, so it makes sense to suggest it first. The Automated Clearing House (ACH) withdraws money directly from the tenant’s checking account each month on his renewal date.
• Credit card autopay: As with ACH autopay, payments are charged to the card each month on the tenant’s renewal date. When a tenant signs up for either autopay option, collecting rent becomes a non-issue. Rent is paid each month, and customer simply forgets about it. That said, it’s important to keep the process running smoothly by paying attention to card expiration dates and reminding tenants accordingly.
• Online payments: This is usually a point-and-click system that gives tenants the option to pay by credit card at any time. Typically, there’s no charge for this option, but it’s important to set time limitations if a tenant is in default.
• Pay by phone: This option allows tenants to call during business hours and pay with a credit card. Some companies charge a convenience fee for this service because it takes time away from other tasks or customers. Informing and reminding tenants that they may pay online without incurring any fees can make them think twice about paying by phone.
• Check or money order: With this method, tenants typically mail payments to the facility. Remind them to allow sufficient mailing time so payments get to you before their renewal date.
• Cash: Cash payments should be made in person and not left in a drop box. This way money can be counted by a staff member and verified by the payee, and a receipt for payment can be issued. This leaves very little room for error. For auditing purposes, it can be helpful for customers to sign an extra copy of all-cash payments to be entered into their tenant file.

After you’ve shared your payment options, ask the tenant which he prefers. Though he isn’t tied to one option, asking for a preference will reinforce that he’s made a choice and is responsible for making his payments.

Reminder Options

Another way to reinforce timely payments is to offer reminders. Again, this allows tenants to make a choice and reinforces that it’s their responsibility to stay current. It also relieves some pressure off the manager or whoever is responsible for making collections calls. All options need to be prefaced with the understanding that fees will be imposed for late payments. Here are some options to offer:

• No reminders: This is good for those who pay their rent on time and don’t wish to be bothered with additional communications from your facility.  
• E-mail: This is a good option for most tenants and can include a link directly to your facility’s online payment page (if this is offered).
• SMS or text: This is my preferred method, as again, the reminder can include a link that takes the customer right to payment area of your website.
• Phone call: Some tenants still prefer this method, particularly if they’re older.
• Paper invoice: Again, this option may be preferred by older tenants who are used to paying for bills by check.

Informal Formality

To help ease the payment and reminder process and make it clear to customers, consider adding an options form to your rental paperwork that you can keep in each tenant file. Give the customer a copy for his records. The form could look roughly like this:

Options Form

Rent renewal date: _____________________

Payment Options
(Please initial your preferred method.)
____ ACH monthly autopay (includes e-mailed invoice)
____ Credit card monthly autopay (includes e-mailed invoice)
____ Online credit card payment (no-fee option via our website)
____ Pay by phone (includes a $3 convenience fee and e-mailed invoice)
____ Check or money order
____ Cash (in person only)

Reminder Options
(Please initial your preferred method.)
_____ No reminder (unless past due)
_____ E-mail reminder
_____ SMS or text reminder
_____ Phone-call reminder
_____ Paper invoice reminder

We all prefer to make choices that work best for our lifestyles. Offering tenants payment and reminder options may take a little more time when completing the initial paperwork, but putting the responsibility on them can free up enormous amounts of time and energy each month when it comes to collections.

Debbi "Frankie" Frank has 12 years of experience working in all aspects of self-storage management and training. She’s owner of Working Smarter in Guffey, Colo., a consulting firm that helps storage owners, managers and staff set up, organize and become inspired to love what they do. For more information, call 760.458.9802; e-mail [email protected].

Update 11/10/17 – Corson retained his seat on the Township Committee by receiving 52 percent of the vote. The 53-year-old Republican self-storage owner prevailed despite heavy Democratic voter turnout. Bond and Grubb received 40 percent and 9 percent of the Upper Township vote, respectively, according to unofficial results posted by the Cape May County Clerk’s Office.

“It all went well,” Corson told the source. “There was a lot of Democratic turnout from the governor’s race [that affected local races].” New Jersey voters elected Democrat Philip D. Murphy as governor.

Though an earlier report inferred Corson had been serving continuously on the committee for 19 years, he was appointed last year to fill the seat vacated by Jeffrey Pierson, who took a position on the Cape May County Board of Freeholders. Corson previously had served 18 years on the committee. Pierson was re-elected to the county board on Nov. 7, the source reported.

Corson’s top priorities for the new term are promoting commercial development and keeping open the B.L. England power plant. Litigation over the construction of a natural-gas pipeline has clouded its future, per the source. “We need to make sure the plant stays open because it is a huge part of our tax base,” Corson said.

Part of the self-storage operator’s plan to help spur more commercial development in the area is to work with Ocean City in expanding sewer lines to Marmora, an unincorporated area of Upper Township. Without the sewer upgrade, businesses have been reluctant to move into the community, Corson said.

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11/6/17 – Curtis Corson, owner of Seaville Self Storage in South Seaville, N.J., is running for re-election to the Township Committee for Upper Township, N.J., which serves the same function as a city council. A Republican, he has served on the committee for 19 years, including a stint as deputy mayor, according to the source.

Challengers for the seat are Democrat Kiesha Bond, a photographer, and Independent Jon Kevin Grubb. Bond is the first Democratic Party candidate to run for a seat on the committee since 2012. Grubb ran as a Republican last year but lost in the primary election to incumbents John Coggins and Hobie Young, the source reported.

Seaville Self-Storage is a family-owned business that has served the Ocean View, N.J., area for more than 20 years. The property offers 24-hour unit access. It has perimeter fencing and a resident manager. The logo on the company’s website boasts that the business has had the same prices since 1992.

Corson also owns Plantation Campground in Ocean View. The four-season campground offers free cable television, laundry, and two bathhouse facilities with complimentary hot showers.

The five-member Township Committee includes the mayor and deputy mayor. Members serve staggered, three-year terms.

Update 11/10/17 – 10 Federal has acquired Superior Self Storage in Asheboro, N.C., with the intent to convert the facility to an unmanned, automated location. The property at 1825 N. Fayetteville St. is the company’s third purchase. Similar to the others, it’ll be transformed by the addition of an automated kiosk and rental center, as well as the use of call-center services, according to a press release. The deal closed on Oct. 31.

The company also announced it’s nearing completion on the automation of its Chapel Hill South location. In addition to installing a suite of technologies, 10 Federal has paved the drive aisles, the release stated.

The company continues to look for acquisition opportunities and is finalizing agreements on two “off-market” transactions expected to grow its portfolio to five properties, officials said.

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9/15/17 – Diversified real estate firm 10 Federal has acquired Green Cube Self Storage in Chapel Hill, N.C. The property at 128 McGhee Road is the second transaction completed through the company’s acquisition fund launched earlier this year. The deal closed on Sept. 7, according to a press release.

In keeping with its acquisition strategy, 10 Federal intends to convert the Chapel Hill property to a fully automated facility. It has also planned enhancements including fresh paint for the storage-unit doors and new paving for the drive aisles.

The company also announced it has completed renovations at its Belmont, N.C., facility, the first storage property acquired through the fund. It has a purchase agreement to buy a third facility and issued a letter of intent for a fourth, the release stated. 10 Federal is using the fund to target storage properties throughout the Southeast, with a concentration in North Carolina.

Based in Raleigh, N.C., 10 Federal acquires, develops and manages multi-family and self-storage properties in North Carolina. It now has five self-storage facilities in its portfolio. Integrating technology into its operation is a core tenet of the business, according to the company website.

Update 11/10/17 – Breezy Hill Self Storage opened its doors on Nov. 1 in Graniteville. "We're ramping up to make it the premier place for self-storage in the [Central Savannah River Area]," Meldrum said.

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6/20/17 – Construction is nearly complete on the new Breezy Hill Self Storage facility in Graniteville, S.C. Expected to open in mid-August, the property at 200 Bettis Academy Road will comprise 87,000 square feet of storage space in 550 units, half of which will be climate-controlled. It’ll also contain 21 outdoor vehicle-parking spaces, according to the source.

The facility is between the newly built Leavelle McCampbell Middle School and AllStar Tents & Events, a provider of party-rental products. It’s also near Interstate 20, a major thoroughfare traversing the state.

The storage facility will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Security features will include electronic keypads, perimeter fencing and video cameras. The units will lighted, and background music will be played throughout the property. The management team will also accept deliveries on customers’ behalf, the source reported.

“Breezy Hill Self Storage is the largest and, by far, the most advanced facility of its kind in the area,” said Brad Brodie, president of Storage Development Inc., the general contractor. “Every aspect of the design pays particular attention to the comfort, convenience and safety of customers. The facility has wide thoroughfares so that trucks and large trailers have easy entry and maneuverability once inside.”

In addition to targeting commercial and residential customers, the facility aims to attract businesses that need off-site archival storage and pharmaceutical companies that require a climate-controlled environment for their products, according to Chad Meldrum of WTCII Enterprises LLC, the facility owner. “We will deliver tremendous value to build the client base and establish a high level of customer satisfaction,” he added.

Pete Palmere is the construction superintendent on the project, the source reported.

Storage Development Inc. offers turnkey construction services to the self-storage industry. It specializes in facility design and site layout, site selection, concrete, and roofing.