Expecting to bring 10 to 15 jobs to O’Fallon, a proposed U-Haul Moving and Storage Center complex is being considered for the former RP Lumber site at 1404 W. Highway 50. Plans call for construction of a retail center for truck and trailer rentals, related retail sales and indoor self-storage units on 7.5 acres, pending approval by the City Council. The city’s Planning Commission approved the planned use application from Amerco Real Estate Co., the real estate arm of U-Haul, on Aug. 12.
“It will be designed to complement the surrounding community, both aesthetically and functionally,” Community Development Director Greg Anderson said. Members of the council’s Community Development Committee will review the proposal on Aug. 25 and may send it to the full council, depending on their vote. City staff recommended approval of the project, which would be zoned B-1 Community Business District, and is planned for completion in two phases.
Phase one will include demolition of the existing building and construction of a 36,638-square-foot, three-story structure on the north portion of the lot.
Phase two will consist of building an 11,965-square-foot U-Box storage building, along with remaining site work and utility connections.
The proposed site plan includes four buildings totaling 74,467 square feet, representing about 25 percent of the total lot area. Access to the site will be provided at three points: a primary entrance from West Illinois 50 and two cross-access easement connections to the adjacent Walmart lot.
Unlike some similar U-Haul sites, the proposed development will not be open 24 hours. Patrons will be permitted access to storage areas through a card-swipe identification system.
After-hours access will be available daily to registered patrons, from 5 am to 10 pm All entries will be electronically documented. Regular business hours would be 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 7 am to 8 pm Friday, 7 am to 7 pm Saturday and 9 am to 5 pm Sunday.
City staff recommend allowing the developer to reduce the number of parking stalls to 44, with a minimum of two accessible spaces, based on findings from the Institute of Transportation Engineers. The company will install a security system covering the entire property, as well as a license plate reader system for additional security measures. U-Haul has several neighborhood dealers in the city, but there is not a stand-alone storage or retail center in the vicinity.
In November 2017, a different U-Haul storage development at Green Mount Road and Wingate Boulevard in Shiloh was tabled by the Shiloh Planning Commission after residents raised concerns about traffic, safety and aesthetics. That plan, which included changing the site’s zoning from planned business to light industrial, was for 700 interior climate-controlled storage units, 99 exterior storage units and 49 outdoor RV parking lanes.
