The Westwood Zoning Board is considering an application for the development of a self-storage mixed-use project on a former car lot in Westwood, N.J. Madison Realty LLC and 11 Madison Realty LLC have submitted an application to subdivide the former Valley Ford of Westwood car dealership on Madison Avenue into a mixed-use project that will include self-storage, residential housing and retail space.

The zoning board reviewed the application for the first time during a July 7 hearing and will consider the proposal again during a special meeting on July 21, according to Bill Martin, board chairman. Mixed-use and self-storage are currently not permitted in Westwood's Central Business District, requiring the board to extend a D variance. Additional variances for building height and bulk would also need to be granted, according to the source.

The proposal calls for demolishing the existing 51,306-square-foot auto dealership and subdividing the property into two lots, one for the mixed-used development of residential and commercial space, and the other for self-storage, according to the source. The lot is near Irvington Street, Washington Avenue and the NJ Transit Pascack Valley line rail tracks.

The developers have proposed to build one three-story building with 2,685 square feet of retail space on the ground floor, with two levels of 16 residential units above. The building would include storage in the basement and 28 parking spaces. Access to the property would be from Madison Avenue.

On the other lot, the self-storage facility would have three floors encompassing 99,885 square feet of storage space. It would be on the north/northwest side of the site and include 13 parking spots and four loading spaces. Ingress and egress to the building would be from either Madison Avenue or Irvington Street.

Previous plans to redevelop the site have been unsuccessful. The Westwood Planning Board denied an application in 2006 from Wachovia Bank, which proposed a 15,000-square-foot bank with two drive-through lanes. After several legal disputes, including an appeal, Wachovia withdrew its proposal.

 

Three vintage Volkswagen microbuses that were stolen from the Tillamook cheese company during a promotional tour last weekend were found Monday in a self-storage unit in Copperopolis, Calif. A tip led an auto-theft task force to serve a search warrant at 8 B Secured Self Storage, according to the source. Manteca Police Chief Nick Obligacion told the “Statesman Journal” that one of the suspects rented a unit at the facility. In addition to the stolen buses, police uncovered other Tillamook items in the unit.

Police arrested Sacramento residents Brian Lancaster, 32, and Ryan Monaco, 38, in Rocklin, Calif., on Tuesday following a traffic stop. The men could face charges of auto theft, possession of stolen vehicles, conspiracy and arson, the source reported.

The bright orange buses, along with a Ford F-350 truck and a trailer used to transport the vehicles, were in Sacramento on a tour to promote the Oregon company’s brand of cheese, according to Tori Harms, a Tillamook spokeswoman. The buses, which are 1959, 1964 and 1966 models, have all been shortened to look like blocks of cheese and include Tillamook’s custom colors and branding.

All of the vehicles were stolen on Saturday from a Hampton Inn parking lot between 12:30 a.m. and 6:30 a.m., according to Sgt. Rob Armosino of the Manteca Police Department. The microbuses were inside the trailer at the time of the theft. The truck and trailer were found on Sunday around 12:30 a.m., engulfed in flames about 50 miles from the Hampton Inn. Tillamook then offered a $10,000 reward for the safe recovery of its specialty vehicles.

The task force to recover the vehicles included personnel from the Lodi, Manteca and Stockton police agencies, the California Highway Patrol, the San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office, the San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office and the San Joaquin County Probation Department.

Obligacion told KGW the buses were not damaged. He estimated their value at $300,000. Tillamook declined to comment on the buses’ worth.

Tillamook is an award-winning, farmer-owned dairy co-op based in Tillamook, Ore. In addition to cheese, the company makes ice-cream, sour cream, yogurt and butter.

The Tillamook Cheese Factory is the Tillamook County Creamery Association's original cheese production facility. It also serves as a visitor center and hosts more than 1 million tourists each year. Visitors can learn about the cheese-making and -packaging process, and the ice cream-making process.

PS Florida One Inc., a subsidiary of self-storage real estate investment trust Public Storage Inc., recently acquired two self-storage properties in Sarasota, Fla., for $23 million. The sellers were two subsidiaries of Columbia, Md.-based Cambridge Investment Co. Combined, the properties encompass 174,000 square feet of storage space.

Cambridge Investment purchased the 4.5-acre parcel at 1169 N. Beneva Road in 1999 for $850,000, according to the source. The following year, the company built five self-storage structures totaling 78,000 square feet on the property. In 2003, it purchased two buildings totaling 75,720 square feet at 4050 Bee Ridge Road for $3 million. Five more structures were constructed in 2005, adding nearly 20,000 square feet of storage space to the 5-acre property.

The Southwest Florida real estate market has seen a number of self-storage transactions in recent months, according to the source. Last month, Select Self Storage Holding Co. LLC, a Sarasota company managed by Neil Malamud, sold the 36,695-square-foot self-storage facility at 757 Apex Road for $1.3 million. The buyer was Big Jim VI, a Sarasota company that lists Dora Maria C. Thomas as its registered agent. Select Self Storage Holding acquired the four-building complex in June 2007 for $4 million.

Earlier this year, Olde Sarasota Associates LLC sold the 95,870-square-foot self-storage property at 4625 Clark Road for $7.5 million to a Sarasota company managed by Clark W. Porter, the source reported.

In addition to the acquisitions, PS Florida One is building a storage facility at 4550 Clark Road, also in Sarasota. The company purchased the 4.5-acre parcel of land for $1.3 million in January. The property will include five single-story structures, according to the source.

Based in Glendale, Calif., Public Storage has interests in 2,202 self-storage facilities in 38 states, with approximately 141 million net rentable square feet. Operating under the Shurgard brand name, the company also has 188 facilities in seven European countries, with approximately 10 million net rentable square feet.

Inside Self-Storage (ISS), a provider of ongoing information and education resources for industry professionals, has released its 2014 Buyer’s Guide, a comprehensive directory of self-storage product and service suppliers. Available online and in the August 2014 print edition of ISS magazine, the guide contains listings from hundreds of companies that offer building components and services, consulting services, technology tools, marketing services, retail supplies, legal and insurance services, finance services and much more.

Free to both users and participating companies, the ISS Buyer’s Guide also includes a directory of state self-storage associations and a categorical cross reference. The online guide features a geographic search tool. Company listings include detailed contact information, links to websites and social media platforms, and a description of business offerings.

Magazine subscribers will receive their print copy this month. The online guide is accessible under the “Directories” drop-down menu at www.insideselfstorage.com.

Suppliers who would like to be included in the current online Buyer’s Guide and contacted for inclusion in the 2015 print version should complete the form at http://buyersguide.insideselfstorage.com/BGWebForm_login.asp?gid=11.

For nearly 25 years, ISS has provided informational resources to self-storage owners, managers, developers and investors. Its educational offerings include a monthly magazine, annual conferences and tradeshows, an extensive website, an online store, and Self-Storage Talk, the industry’s largest online community.

 

Storage Pros Management LLC, a company specializing in the acquisition, development, improvement, management and disposition of self-storage facilities, is offering free storage at its 10 Grand Rapids, Mich., properties for victims of a tornado that struck the area on July 6. The EF1 twister touched down in nearby Kentwood, Mich., causing significant damage and leaving thousands without power, according to news reports.

“[We are] reaching out to the community, in which we have a substantial presence, in order to do our part to help area residents cope with this tragedy,” said Peter Spickenagel, vice president of operations.

Residents and businesses suffering “damage and displacement” are encouraged to contact a Storage Pros facility no later than July 20, company officials said in a press release. The special offer to storm victims is subject to available space.

Storage Pros owns 48 self-storage properties and manages a total of 56. The facilities are located throughout New England as well as Florida, Michigan and Tennessee. They comprise more than 3.3 million square feet of storage space and more than 29,000 storage units and parking spaces for rent.

The owners of Merchants Moving and Storage in Hamilton, Mont., are building a new self-storage facility in nearby Victor, Mont. Pam and Gary Nelson have listed their moving business for sale but plan on operating Victor Mini Storage and RV in semi-retirement, according to the source.

Scheduled to open in August at 143 Totem View Lane, the self-storage facility will offer 80 units and an eight-bay RV barn. It is being constructed on a 5-acre lot behind Fang Trucking, a diesel automotive repair shop also built by the Nelsons.

The Victor storage facility will feature units from 10-by-12 up to 10-by-25 feet. Calling on their moving-business background, the Nelsons designed the property to enable large moving trucks to fit between the units, according to the source.

“We made ours so that if a tractor trailer comes in to unload, he can pull up here [and] unload; he can pull forward, turn around; and we can let him out any of the other gates,” Pam Nelson told the source. “We can actually pull our 26-foot truck straight in, back it up, and there’s still room for a car to get by. It was designed by experience and designed for movers.”

The property will also have security fencing, electric gates with keypad entry, video surveillance, outdoor lighting and an onsite manager.

The Nelsons have owned Merchants Moving for 15 years and decided to build the Victor facility to meet demand in the area. “It’s my understanding that a lot of [other storage locations] are full,” Pam said. “At Merchants Moving, we have 120 storage units full. They have been full for several months. Even our warehouse will be full this summer.”

By John Egan

Reprinted with permission from "The Storage Facilitator" blog.

Does your self-storage facility’s website need a complete makeover or just a little nip-and-tuck? Chances are, you could say “yes” to one or the other. Coming up with that answer is the easy part.

Now, what can you do to freshen up your website? Before you get started, remember that online beauty is more than skin-deep. It’ll probably take more than a new color scheme and a few new photos to firm up a sagging site.

“It’s not about a ‘fresh new look.’ Some of the most effective sites out there look very crappy,” said John Locke, principal of Web-development company Freelock. “Do you want to have a beautiful website that gets loads of traffic but doesn’t bring you any customers, or a website that doesn’t feel quite ‘done’ but sends you a dozen new leads every week?”

Experts offer these six tips for improving your website.

1. Keep It Simple

If your website isn’t on a WordPress platform, you should seriously consider switching it to one of the world’s most popular content-management systems. Two of the biggest benefits of WordPress? It’s incredibly cheap to install and relatively easy to use.

“You’ll need help with the installation process if you’re not tech-savvy, but after that, it is extremely easy to use,” said Brandon Howard, owner of Web-design firm All My Web Needs. “You’ll have thousands of free templates to choose from, and even more free tools called ‘plug-ins’ to add special functionality to your site. You will be able to make updates to your website without having to learn code or anything like that.”

If you don’t want to travel down the WordPress road, then look into website-building services like Squarespace, Weebly and Wix. They’re free or inexpensive, and they’re easy to navigate.

2. Consider Going With a Pro

What if a WordPress, Squarespace, Weebly or Wix website won’t cut it? Then you’ll likely need to hire a pro to create your website. However, you don’t need to break the bank to get it built. Check out freelance services like Elance and oDesk for Web designers whose work is reasonably priced.

Keep in mind, though, that using a freelancer from Elance or oDesk might require a fair amount of handholding. If that’s just not for you, then look into a Web-design firm. But be prepared to pay the price: A custom-designed site easily can cost thousands of dollars.

“It’s a good idea to use a company that will build a website for a one-time payment instead of having to pay monthly fees. It costs more upfront, but it is far less expensive in the long run,” Howard said. “Be sure to use a company that will build in WordPress or a similar platform.” Don’t let the firm create your website on a proprietary platform, experts warn.

“You do not want to wind up hostage to a Web wizard later,” communications consultant Bethann Garramon Merkle said. “Perhaps the most fundamentally costly—and recurring—error I know of is ignoring this tip. All of the clients for whom I have redesigned websites fall in this category. They had a site, they paid good money to have it built and, eventually, their Web wizard moved, turned nasty or whatever.”

3. Keep It Classy

So, if you do decide to go the do-it-yourself route, make sure your website stands out—for the right reasons. The wording and the images are critical to ensuring your site isn’t a flop.

“Avoid putting any verbiage that can apply to any other company, like stating that you have ‘high quality and great service.’ Today’s consumer is very smart and can tell when you’re blowing smoke, so make your website copy unique and powerful,” said Glenn Romanelli, president and creative director at Web-design firm Lighthaus Design. “Emphasize how your product or service is different from the competition.”

Be sure to supplement the words with images or videos that are attractive and not amateurish. If you’re not good at taking photos, hire a pro to shoot them for you; same goes for the videos.

In the case of a storage facility, the images on your site should include shots of the units, the exterior and the employees. If you need images aside from the ones related to your facility, check out low-cost stock photos from sites like iStock and Shutterstock.

4. Make It Mobile

While you may not own a smartphone or tablet computer, many of your potential customers do. That’s why your website design should be what’s known as “responsive”—able to be viewed clearly on any number of devices.

“Simply put, users abandon sites that aren’t optimized for the device they are using. If you are trying to cram a full website onto someone’s smartphone, they leave because the experience is frustrating,” according to Duda, a company that offers a WordPress plug-in for mobile sites. “Small business owners need a website that works across desktop, tablet and mobile devices.”

5. Create a Call to Action

Simply put, you need to tell visitors to your website what you want them to do. Do you want them to call your facility? If so, then make sure your site is equipped with a giant “Call Us Now” button. Do you want them to visit your facility? If so, your website should feature a “Visit Us Now” button linking to the hours for and directions to your facility.

“Once you know what you want the visitor to do, it’s easy to make your website 100 percent aimed at accomplishing that goal,” small-business consultant Brian Lofrumento said. “Chances are, right now it’s not, as 90 percent of small-business owners never ask themselves what they want website visitors to do.”

6. Post Robust Content

Marketing consultant Shanna Kurpe said she thinks the biggest problem plaguing business websites is “terrible” content. Experts recommend that your website’s content inform and educate customers, and that it not be overly sales-oriented.

Online consultant James Blews, owner of Smart Idea Lane, said that if your site doesn’t answer a customer’s questions or address a customer’s concerns, it’s worthless. You can create valuable content through regular blog posts, or “evergreen” articles providing tips and advice. Information, he said, “is the new kingdom in the land we call the Internet.”

Kurpe’s boldest suggestion concerning content: Tone down mentions of your company. “I know that sounds crazy, but repositioning content to talk more about the actual customer and their problems, rather than the company, can make a huge impact on conversion,” Kurpe said.

John Egan is the editor-in-chief at SpareFoot, an online marketplace for self-storage consumers. Before joining SpareFoot, he was the editor-in-chief at Bankrate Insurance. “The Storage Facilitator” is a self-storage blog managed by SpareFoot and hosted by partner SelfStorage.com.

Sperry Van Ness International Corp. (SVNIC), a commercial real estate services franchisor serving self-storage and other industries, recently opened its newest franchise office, Sperry Van Ness/Blackstream Commercial LLC in Greenville, S.C. Led by Managing Directors Ford Elliott and Carlos Salgado, the organization will focus on full-service commercial real estate brokerage, sales, leasing and property-management services in Greenville, with divisions in Asheville, N.C., and Columbia, S.C.

Elliott and Salgado have more than 10 years of experience in the commercial real estate industry across all asset types. They’ve assembled a team of advisors to provide commercial real estate services to national investment funds, regional property owners, and local experienced investors and owners through a client-focused business model, according to a press release. The team is now looking to use the SVNIC-compensated cooperation platform and listing transparency to become a recognized leader in the area’s highly competitive brokerage industry, the release stated.

“We feel our vision aligns perfectly with Sperry Van Ness,” Elliot says. “SVNIC provides the tools and foundation we need to grow and reach our goals. We look forward to a long-lasting relationship.”

SVNIC markets all of its properties nationally to a 100,000-member brokerage and investment community, according to the source. The company and produced $8.1 billion in sales and leasing transactions in 2013. It includes more than 180 locations in 200 markets, with all offices independently owned and operated.

Simply Self Storage, which operates facilities in the United States and Puerto Rico, will donate $100,000 to local charities this year, according to a company press release. As part of a company-wide initiative, its employees work to achieve performance goals that earn company funds for charitable causes including hunger, education, animal abuse, homelessness and disaster relief. Staff members decide which charities will receive monetary donations and at which organizations they would like to volunteer. Simply Self Storage compensates employees for their volunteer time.

Simply Self Storage staff members recently delivered a $1,000 donation to SafeHouse of Seminole in Sanford, Fla. Founded in 1995, the nonprofit offers a number of programs for families affected by domestic violence including emergency shelter, court advocacy and education.

“It is our mission in 2014 to meet our financial goals as a company to create opportunities so people can live better,” said CEO Kurt O’Brien. “We consider it our responsibility to improve our company results so we can make a positive impact in the communities we serve. Whether it’s through the donations we provide to the people and organizations that need our help or through inspiring volunteer efforts of Simply Self Storage associates, we are passionate about achieving our goals so we can impact the lives of those around us. Everybody wins when performance is tied to philanthropy.”

Founded in 2003 by O'Brien, Simply Self Storage is headquartered in Orlando, Fla. The company owns or manages 120 facilities in 16 states.

Simply Self Storage staff members present a $1,000 check to SafeHouse
of Seminole. From left: Debra Howell, Florida district manager; Sharon
Hamilton, Winter Garden property manager; Tommy Bowers, Sanford
property manager; Jennifer Pinson and Estifani Rodriguez, SafeHouse
team members; and SafeHouse CEO Jeanne Gold.
(Herald photo courtesy of Tommy Vincent.)