A 350-unit self-storage facility is likely to be part of the larger Five Corners mixed-use development approved last February in Cedarburg, Wis. The planning commission approved a conditional-use permit on April 19 for the storage facility proposed by Matt Burow, president of Catalyst Construction, pending approval of a storm-water plan and possible landscaping additions, according to the source.

Though town chairman David Salvaggio raised concerns about the orientation of the self-storage buildings being north to south instead of east to west, representatives for the storage project indicated the proposed layout would aid with snow removal. The possibility of additional landscaping for the site would be on the east side of the storage units, the source reported.

The self-storage project must still be reviewed by the town board for final approval.

The Five Corners Business District project on Highway 60 will also include commercial condominiums, retail and a sports complex. The larger project is being developed by Venture Space LLC, which expects to begin construction this fall, according to the source.

Founded in 2004, Catalyst Construction specializes in commercial developments including education, medical, office, religious and retail projects, according to its website.

The Hermiston, Ore., City Council unanimously approved a neighborhood commercial-overlay zone last week that adds self-storage and multi-family housing as conditional uses on an 8-acre area along Highland Avenue west of S.W. 11th St. The vote occurred in part due to a request by self-storage developer Steve Richards, owner of Eastern Oregon Development LLC, who wants to build a storage facility with up to 370 units on a parcel near the Gotta Stop Mini Mart, according to the source.

Multi-family housing was added as an allowable use on the property as part of a city directive to pursue more residential development, the source reported. No multi-family developments have been proposed at the 8-acre site.

Richards told the council a feasibility study showed current self-storage facilities are at about 95 percent occupancy. He also submitted a petition with 100 signatures from residents who support a storage facility at the location. “Of all of them I approached, two of them declined to sign the petition,” Richards said during the meeting.

City planner Clint Spencer told the council some residents had expressed concern about increased traffic and loitering during a recent planning-commission hearing, but others indicated they were in favor of any development that would reduce dust and weeds, according to the source.

Richards owns self-storage facilities in Pendleton and Stanfield, Ore., the source reported. Approximately 20 tenants who live in Hermiston rent from his Stanfield facility because they can’t find available units locally, he told the council.

Stor-It Now!, which operates two self-storage properties in Munster and Valparaiso, Ind., is seeking zoning approval to build a third site in the state, in Crown Point. The company owners appeared before the zoning board this week to request a special-use permit for the property on the northwest corner of 113th Avenue and Delaware Street in the Crown East Industrial Park.

The plans call for seven buildings containing 639 units. Two interior, climate-controlled buildings would comprise 58,841 square feet of storage space, while five structures totaling 22,275 square feet of space would contain drive-up units. Security features include electronic gate access and video cameras.

Entry and exit to the property would be positioned off Delaware Street to keep the traffic burden off 113th Avenue, said Jeffrey Katz, co-owner. "I think this is an exciting opportunity for myself, my partner and the city of Crown Point," he added.

Stor-It Now! opened its Valparaiso facility in 2010. The site’s 670 units are 100 percent occupied, Katz said. The Munster facility opened in 2016 with 450 units, which are 70 percent occupied, according to the source.