Self-storage business that uses shipping containers coming to Galt
GALT — Using shipping containers as storage units is nothing new.
Many companies, such as PODS, specialize in delivering containers to homes or businesses that customers can use for storage during relocation or remodeling.
But a new business could soon be coming to Galt where the containers remain permanently on one site.
The Galt Community Development Department recently received a minor use permit application for the Galt 24 Hour Storage project, which will consist of 274 shipping containers used as storage space located at Industrial Drive and Pringle Avenue, according to the July 26 City Manager’s Update at www.ci.galt.ca.us.
According to the report, the storage facility will be located on the northeast corner of the Industrial Drive and Pringle Avenue intersection. The 274 containers will be located in seven rows at the southern end of the project site, as well as along the perimeter of the facility.
There will also be 84 spaces for recreational vehicles and boats, and a 493-square-foot office building located at the entrance planned for Pringle Avenue, according to the city.
The applicant is proposing to use a combination of the containers, brick wall and tubular steel fencing to enclose the site, and decorative features such as tower elements, landscaping and ornamental blocks would compliment the perimeter.
If the project is approved by the Galt Planning Commission and City Council, it would be the sixth storage facility in town.
It would be the first, however, to utilize repurposed shipping containers.
According to a 2017 article posted by the Houston Business Journal, repurposing shipping containers for self-storage is a growing real estate trend.
The publication reported that Houston-based GreenSpace Holdings, LLC broke ground on a 1,017-unit multi-story self storage facility in Pearland, Tex.
According to greenspaceself-storage.com, the company has two locations in Pearland and Houston, with two more planned in those cities.
Another five locations are planned in Maryland, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Virginia. An location in Elk Grove is scheduled to open next year.
The company is planning to build 50 multi-story facilities using shipping containers for storage across the country in eight years, according to its website.
The Galt 24 Hour Storage site will only be one story, according to renderings included in the city manager's weekly update.
The project is expected to be presented to the planning commission later this year. A staff member with the city’s community development department could not be reached for comment.