The best location would be in an area with a local college, military base or high volume of apartments. These three sectors make up for a ton of storage business due to their transitional lifestyle.

Some other factors to consider are zoning and permit issues.

Zoning Laws

Zoning laws and regulations govern the way a property can be used and developed. Zoning is typically separated into the following categories: residential, commercial, industrial, agricultural and recreational. The desire to position a self-storage facility on a  highly visible and convenient site has raised many new zoning issues.

Permitted Use

A permitted use allows the land to be use by right. Public hearings are not required allowing the process to progress into obtaining a building permit with no public input. Using the permitted use allows for the with staining of politics so long as all the development standards are met.

Conditional Use

Most cities position self-storage facilities in the conditionally permitted use zoning category. A conditional use permit is when land is subject to circumstances the governing agency may impose on the project to mitigate any potential impact.

The storage franchise owner will have to fill out an application and a set of the facility’s design drawings with the governing agency for approval. Typically your franchise will guide you through this process and provide the drawings.

 The Planning Commission will hold a public hearing regarding your storage facility plans.  At the hearing they will listen to what the community has to say, and hear what you have to say.  Then they will vote on the project and unfortunately politics play a role in obtaining this type of permit. The architecture, aesthetics, hours of operation, landscape and overall design also play a large role.