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California Developer Gets Approval for Self-Storage Conversion

Article-California Developer Gets Approval for Self-Storage Conversion

Redtree Properties received approval from the city council to turn a row of vacant offices in Capitola, Calif., into a two-story self-storage facility with 820 units. 

The 37,518-square-foot office building has been vacant for more than a year. City council members had debated about the project, which faced opposition from some area business owners who questioned whether self-storage is the right fit for the 85,620-square-foot plaza. The city’s code did not allow for self-storage in the community commercial zone.

While city officials wanted to retain the area’s retail status, the empty building had not attracted any developers. Also, the space lacks windows and parking. The unanimous vote came after city council members amended the city code.  

Construction will begin June 1, with a facility opening planned for Nov. 1. Redtree Properties anticipates the project will cost $1 million to $1.5 million to build.

Source:  Santa Cruz Sentinel,  Capitola Approves New Use for Vacant Building

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Self-Storage Product Showcase: Quikstor's Guardian Access Control System

Article-Self-Storage Product Showcase: Quikstor's Guardian Access Control System

The Guardian Access Control system was developed over years of engineering research and valuable customer feedback. The focus was to offer the most stable keypad in the self-storage industry while providing the innovative features facility owners expect. 

Benefits

QuikStor offers a seamless integration between its express management software and the new Guardian Series system that allows two-way communication, showing real-time gate activity and reporting in the management software. The company’s robust keypad features allow any facility, on any budget, to have an affordable access solution. 

Difference From Competitors

QuikStor is so confident in its Guardian Series that every keypad includes a seven-year warranty, including coverage for lightning. The company’s smart keypads process all requests internally, without the need to communicate with the office. If an operator’s computer is off or a data wire to the office is severed, tenants can continue to access their belongings. 

30 Seconds in an Elevator With a Prospect

Every storage operator should be using access control to protect his property and the belongings of his tenants. The Guardian Access System is the complete package for any size facility, offering the perfect balance between long-term stability and modern features. 

Other Things Readers Should Know

All Guardian keypads are modular by design, meaning an operator can mix and match features to best suit the needs of his facility. Each keypad comes standard with an 80-character LCD display and two-way intercom speaker. In addition, the following options can be added on at any time: proximity reader, magnetic card reader, pay-at-the-gate, color pinhole camera or wireless data module. 

Future Plans

QuikStor is already in development on its second generation of the Guardian Control Panel, which will add cutting-edge features. For example, the “1-Click Diagnostic” will keep a facility operator informed of the overall health of his access system and allow him to address potential issues before they happen. 

A QuikStor Customer Says...

“I have lost a lot of electrical hardware to lightning. But I haven’t lost a single QuikStor Guardian keypad since they were installed two years ago. Before that, I would lose several keypads each year,” said Steve Chaires, owner of Advanced Moving & Storage in Tallahassee, Fla.
 
For more information, visit www.quikstor.com.

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ISS Blog

Earth Day Every Day for Self-Storage Operators

Article-Earth Day Every Day for Self-Storage Operators

English Creek Self Storage in Egg Harbor, N.J., recently joined the ranks of self-storage facilities that have installed solar photovoltaic systems for efficient energy production and sustainable business. This isn't just good news in honor of Earth Day; it's a trend being realized throughout the industry nationwide, and we hope to see a lot more of it.

Most places you look these days, you see businesses making a play for  "green," endeavoring to be eco-friendly and educate consumers of their earth-centric efforts. Whether they're motivated by financial savings, marketing ammunition or genuine concern for the planet, organizations big and small are jumping on the green bandwagon. (And did you know that wagon is solar-powered?) 

Earth Day (Earth Month to some) seems an appropriate time to share resources regarding the things we can all do to make our offices and facilities more environmentally sustainable. First, if you're interested in learning about the history and establishment of Earth Day, you can read this piece pubished today in TheSalt Lake City Tribune: Earth Day turns 40: Started humble, now global. Now a worldwide annual commemoration, the event germinated in the minds of several twenty-something environmentalists.

Today, Earth-health has seeped into the mission statements of companies across many industries, including self-storage. Every year, ISS hears more clamoring for information about green building and eco practices. Our tradeshows now include seminars about solar energy, LEED Certification, recycling programs and more. We strive to publish comprehensive articles related to these topics, too. Here are a few that might appeal to you:

If you're looking for hands-on tips and insight from fellow facility managers and owners, you can read and jump on these discussion threads at Self-Storage Talk:

Finally, to watch a free replay of a webinar ISS produced with experts from Baja Contruction and iParkSolar, companies that specialize in solar-energy options for self-storage, you can do so here:

Solar Self-Storage Sytems: Making Green While Going Green

Whether your eco-endeavors are grand or small, the important thing is to begin. Even acts as simple as swapping out traditional lightbulbs and recycling cans are steps in the right direction. Don't underestimate their value to the planet and your customers. Make every day Earth Day at your facility, and we shall all reap the benefits. Looking for pointers or easy action items? Here's a good website to get you started: Daily Eco Tips. You can also get great info at Earthday.org.

Midcoast Properties Brokers Sale of Georgia Self-Storage Facility

Article-Midcoast Properties Brokers Sale of Georgia Self-Storage Facility

Dale C. Eisenman, president of Midcoast Properties Inc., represented the seller in the sale of American Storage to a private investor.

The self-storage facility in East Ellijay, Ga., has 248 climate and non-climate-controlled units, totaling approximately 35,000 square feet, and an onsite apartment. The property features digital entry, security cameras, perimeter fencing and a U-Haul Truck Rental service.

American Storage opened in 2006 and has had steady occupancy growth, particularly in this past year while being managed by a professional third-party management firm.

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AZ Governor Signs Bill That Benefits State Self-Storage Operators

Article-AZ Governor Signs Bill That Benefits State Self-Storage Operators

On April 19, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed into law House Bill 2643, which will benefit the state’s self-storage facility owners in various ways. Championed by the Arizona Self Storage Association (AZSSA) with help from the national Self Storage Association, HB2643 outlines procedures for the sale and disposal of personal property in a self-storage facility when a tenant goes into default. The law goes into effect this fall.
 
Key features of the new law are: 

  • In many cases, e-mail will be allowed as another form of “verified mail.” 
  • Facility operators will have alternative ways—free of liability—for dealing with “protected property,” materials that, by law, cannot be sold, such as sensitive files and financial records, wine and alcoholic beverages, pharmaceuticals, and some guns.
  • Self-storage operators will be able to auction boats, motor vehicles and other property they could not sell in the past because those items were subject to certain government “restitution” liens.

Details of the law can be viewed at http://www.azleg.gov/DocumentsForBill.asp?Bill_Number=2643.

Richard Marmor, chairman of the AZSSA Legal & Legislative Committee, will present a seminar covering the new law and other industry legislation in the state at the association’s conference and tradeshow in Tempe, Ariz., May 17-19.
 
Founded in1996, the AZSSA was created to strengthen the self-storage industry in Arizona, promote professional standards and quality, and present a unified voice on issues affecting the industry in the state and in its communities. The association has more than 500 facility and vendor members.

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English Creek Self Storage in New Jersey Adds Solar PV System

Article-English Creek Self Storage in New Jersey Adds Solar PV System

English Creek Self Storage in Egg Harbor, N.J., recently added a solar photovoltaic (PV) generation system. The system was installed by Pro-Tech Energy Solutions LLC, a self-funded energy services company serving the Mid-Atlantic region's commercial properties.

For this project, a 101,660 kilowatt (kW) direct current PV system was installed. The sytem is designed to offset the energy consumed largely by lighting the premises on a 24-hour basis. The system's SolarWorld Sunmodule SW-230W modules divert about 153,114 cubic pounds of carbon dioxide emissions from the atmosphere each year.

The cost of the system was offset by a rebate from the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities and the New Jersey Clean Energy Program's Solar Renewable Energy Credit Pilot Program. An additional grant covering 30 percent of the cost came from the Investment Tax Credit, which was enacted in 2008 to encourage the adoption of solar energy and designed to cut the cost of construction.

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Baytown Self Storage Hosts Town-Hall Meeting on Crime-Related Concerns

Article-Baytown Self Storage Hosts Town-Hall Meeting on Crime-Related Concerns

Baytown Self-Storage of Baytown, Texas, hosted a special town-hall meeting on Saturday to address the crime-related concerns of approximately 35 community residents. City-council member Brandon Capetillo and Police Chief Keith Dougherty called the meeting to address complaints about crime in the Craigmont, Country Club, Lantern Park and Quail Hallow areas, specifically speeding, drug use, break-ins and solicitations in parks.
 
Capetillo and Police Captain David Alford answered residents’ questions about law enforcement and expressed eagerness to address concerns and share information. Dougherty also brought in the SWAT command truck and an automatic license-plate-recognition unit to show residents examples of the department’s technology.
 
Source: The Baytown Sun, City officials talk safety with citizens

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Ice Box

Article-Ice Box

Ice Box turns standard shipping boxes into insulated coolers. The box liners arrive flat but pop open to slip into standard shipping boxes in a variety of sizes including 83 inches, 123 inches and other popular-sized cartons.

Each Ice Box delivers a full inch of expanded Polystyrene insulation to keep the cold in and heat out. They are also engineered to fit snugly in place so the shipper gets maximum interior space. 

The sides are reinforced by 200 Mullen walls and each one is shrink-wrapped to preserve integrity. Ice Box comes compactly flat packaged to reduce storage space.

  

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Supnick Real Estate Launches Newsletter on Self-Storage REIT Performance

Article-Supnick Real Estate Launches Newsletter on Self-Storage REIT Performance

Supnick Real Estate Co., a self-storage real estate brokerage based in Mt. Laurel, N.J., has launched a new quarterly newsletter focused on the operating performance data of the four self-storage real estate investment trusts: Public Storage Inc., Extra Space Storage, U-Store It Trust and Sovran Self Storage. The spring 2010 edition of “The Self Storage Advisor” has been published and can be viewed online at www.supnickre.com.
 
The newsletter reports performance highlights from industry REITs, including:

  • Average occupancy increased nominally in 2009 to 81.7 percent compared to 81.5 percent in 2008.
  • The average rent per available square foot for 2009 was $11.44, down only 3 percent when compared to 2008. Net operating income has been improving, driven by decreasing rental concessions, fewer tenant move-outs and expense control.
  • In the first quarter of 2010, the REITs experienced stabilization in rent per square foot and occupancy.
  • The average REIT stock price for the one-year period ending April 1, 2010, increased more than 125 percent, with the highest appreciation at companies doing the most to enhance balance sheets with new capital.

Supnick Real Estate is owned by Jeff Supnick, a 25-year self-storage veteran and commercial real estate broker. In addition to being a former real estate officer for Public Storage Inc. and Storage USA, he has been a self-storage developer and owner/operator. The company specializes in selling self-storage properties.

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Tags: A Way to Make Self-Storage Talk Better

Article-Tags: A Way to Make Self-Storage Talk Better

As community manager, one of the things I'm most encouraged by is how Self-Storage Talk users generally have a desire to see the forum grow and develop. They see the value in having more users and regular visitors on the site because more users means more depth and quality of discussions.

Here is one simple action that everyone can take: When starting a thread, add tags in the field under the body text box before you hit “Submit New Thread.”  Have you noticed this area?

After you've finished typing your post, take a few seconds to think about what your post was about. Maybe you posted a thread asking for advice on what software you should buy for your facility. Example tags would include “self-storage software,” “management software,” “buy software” and “software advice.” If you posted a thread with a lien auction question, you might enter, “self-storage liens,” “self-storage auction,” “lien law,” “conduct auction,” and “lien law help.”

Why spend extra time entering tags? Basically, a tag's role on the Internet is to categorize content and give search engines (sites like Google, as well as internal search functions such as the one on Self-Storage Talk) extra clues as to what users are searching for.

If a user searches for “self-storage real estate,” content that's tagged with these keywords have a better chance of returning a result than content that's not tagged. If you're hoping for your thread to be read by more people, tags can help make that happen. Also, tags improve navigation and can help people find the information they're looking for much more quickly.

A few suggestions for tags:

Even though the field will let you enter up to 25 tags, it's usually detrimental to tag a thread so heavily. Five to seven tags will suffice, and even two or three are good.

The best tags are two-to-four-word phrases. Single-word phrases such as “storage” don't hurt, but they aren't as effective because they aren't quite specific enough to sort the thread from other content.

Similarly, long keyword phrases—full sentences—are too clunky to be effective topics. Do your best to spell tagged words and phrases correctly. Though capitalization doesn't matter, spelling will determine whether or not the tag has any benefit.

On a larger level, tags help the site overall by getting more traffic, but that's a subject for another post. In the meantime, feel free to start entering tags if you aren't already. Trust me: It will enhance the SST experience.

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