GREENFIELD — The last vacant lot in the Greenfield Business Park will soon house a 140-unit storage business.
Red Door Storage, which currently owns two facilities in Greenfield, plans to begin construction on a third in the next three months. The five-building facility is planned for a 1.86-acre lot at the intersection of New Road and Martindale Drive.
Environmental studies are currently being conducted on the land, which sits between Home Depot and the Greenfield Crossing apartment complex on the north side of New Road, said owner Harold Mize.
Greenfield Business Park, an eight-lot plan first developed in 1989, is home to businesses along State Road 9 and New Road including Kohl’s, PetSmart, Holiday Inn Express, Home Depot and Cracker Barrel, according to city records.
There’s a market for storage facilities, Mize said.
The storage units at Mize’s existing facilities, at 1039 E. U.S. 40 and 115 S. Harrison St., are full or nearly full, Mize said. He said industry experts in self-storage recommend keeping a storage business between 80 and 85 percent full. His businesses are about 95 percent full, he said.
Earlier this month, the Greenfield Planning Commission approved preliminary plans for the 23,000-square-foot facility from Mize and Harold Gibson of H. Gibson Land Surveying. Four chevron-shaped storage-unit buildings and one office building will fill the land, with trees, bushes and flower beds serving as a buffer for the facility along New Road and Martindale Drive, according to design plans.
The planning commission tabled the proposed plans in March, asking for more details on the building, said zoning administrator Joanie Fitzwater.
While developers are confident the facility’s construction, with brick end-caps on the storage buildings and an all-brick office building, and landscaping will exceed the expectations of the city, they worked to be sure nearby residents were reassured before coming forward with their plans, they said.
This spring, Gibson went door to door in the St. James Manor single-family housing development and explained the plans, taking neighbors’ questions and suggestions. Mize said the lack of opposition at the planning commission meeting, where the plans were approved unanimously, indicates residents’ concerns were resolved before the meeting.
Residents of Greenfield Crossing said the facility might be useful to fellow residents, since people living in apartments often have limited space for storage.
Resident Patrick Morley said his only concern is traffic flow when construction begins on the facility. New Road, east of State Street, is already congested much of the work day.
One resident of Greenfield Crossing said she still has belongings in storage in California. She understands the need for local options.
Sierra McConnell said she’s not bothered by the planned facility but added she’ll miss the greenery of the vacant field.
Brian Moore, marketing and communications director for Flaherty & Collins Properties, which owns Greenfield Crossing Apartments, said the company is pleased to see a storage facility opening nearby.
“We’re glad residents will have additional storage options,” he said.
