{"id":6735,"date":"2024-07-23T09:55:23","date_gmt":"2024-07-23T09:55:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/listselfstorage.com\/us\/industry-insights\/?p=6735"},"modified":"2024-07-31T10:25:01","modified_gmt":"2024-07-31T10:25:01","slug":"city-plan-commissioners-grants-permission-for-ex-factory-into-self-storage-in-new-haven-ct","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/listselfstorage.com\/us\/industry-insights\/city-plan-commissioners-grants-permission-for-ex-factory-into-self-storage-in-new-haven-ct\/","title":{"rendered":"City Plan Commissioners Grants Permission For Ex-Factory into Self-Storage in New Haven, CT"},"content":{"rendered":"


\nCity Plan commissioners approved a plan to convert up to 65,000 square feet of industrial space on Lenox Street into self-storage units\u2009\u2014\u2009after deciding that that controversially quiet use fit better at a former factory in the Heights than at a former factory in Newhallville.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

They took that unanimous vote Wednesday night during the latest online monthly meeting of the City Plan Commission.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The proposal in question was a special permit sought by applicant Frank Talierco and local attorney Ben Trachten to allow for a self-storage facility at the former fabric-coating chemical factory at 30 Lenox St.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

That property is still owned by Trelleborg Coating Systems US Inc., even though that company shut down its industrial operations in the Heights roughly a year ago.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
The former Trelleborg plant at 30 Lenox.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Wednesday\u2019s special permit application followed the Board of Zoning Appeals\u2019 (BZA) recent approval of a use variance for the property to be turned into a micro-manufacturing \u200b\u201cflex workshop\u201d\u2009\u2014\u2009that is, a mix of private studios to be occupied by artists, small business owners, and small-scale manufacturers.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Trachten told the City Plan commissioners on Wednesday that his client still very much plans on turning as much of the former factory building as possible into a \u200b\u201cflex workshop.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe hope the flex workshop becomes the dominant use at the site,\u201d he said. But, as he previewed during the BZA review process, \u200b\u201cto make it economically viable from the beginning, we need the self-storage use.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The special permit up for review on Wednesday would allow Trachten\u2019s client to convert the basement and first floors of 30 Lenox St.\u2018s main former mill building to self-storage. It would allow for the same in three smaller adjacent buildings on the property. The only space where self-storage would not be allowed under this permit would be the second and third floors of the old mill building.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis area has not seen rampant residential development like Dixwell and Newhallville,\u201d Trachten said in support of allowing for rentable storage units at 30 Lenox. Self-storage would also represent a \u200b\u201cfar de-intensification from the prior heavy industrial use\u201d of the property by Trelleborg.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Trachten recognized the \u200b\u201cgeneral distaste\u201d that planners and economic development staff have for self-storage. But, he said, especially with the proposed flex workshop, this redeveloped site would be \u200b\u201ceconomically productive\u201d\u2009\u2014\u2009and much cleaner than other heavy industrial uses that would be permitted as of right.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

During their deliberations on the matter, the commissioners frequently referenced a self-storage plan that they shot down in February for a different dilapidated former factory\u2009\u2014\u2009this one located on Shelton Avenue in Newhallville.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

During that failed application\u2019s review, artists renting out studio space in the former Newhallville factory spoke out in droves against the proposal. Commissioners ultimately voted down the plan out of a concern that self-storage would serve as \u200b\u201cdead space\u201d in the neighborhood.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the same type of application,\u201d commission Chair Leslie Radcliffe said on Wednesday about 30 Lenox, \u200b\u201cbut totally different circumstances.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Commissioner and Westville Alder Adam Marchand pointed out that the 30 Lenox St. former factory does not abut residential properties in the way that the Shelton Avenue one does. It\u2019s also built on hte side of a hill, as opposed to right in the middle of a dense populated neighborhood.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis would be a very suitable\u201d use for the property, Radcliffe said.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s preferable to have more of that space used for other activities,\u201d Marchand said, including the proposed flex workshop, \u200b\u201cbut I recognize that this project is going to be complicated and costly.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

With that, the commissioners voted unanimously in support of the self-storage permit, teeing this project up to return to the City Plan Commission at a future date for full site plan review.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Source<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

City Plan commissioners approved a plan to convert up to 65,000 square feet of industrial space on Lenox Street into self-storage units\u2009\u2014\u2009after deciding that that controversially quiet use fit better at a former factory in the Heights than at a former factory in Newhallville. They took that unanimous vote Wednesday night during the latest online monthly meeting of the City Plan Commission. The proposal in question was a special permit sought by applicant Frank Talierco and local attorney Ben Trachten to allow for a self-storage facility at the former fabric-coating…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":6736,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[23],"tags":[],"gutentor_comment":0,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/listselfstorage.com\/us\/industry-insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6735"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/listselfstorage.com\/us\/industry-insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/listselfstorage.com\/us\/industry-insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/listselfstorage.com\/us\/industry-insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/listselfstorage.com\/us\/industry-insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6735"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/listselfstorage.com\/us\/industry-insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6735\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6740,"href":"https:\/\/listselfstorage.com\/us\/industry-insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6735\/revisions\/6740"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/listselfstorage.com\/us\/industry-insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6736"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/listselfstorage.com\/us\/industry-insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6735"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/listselfstorage.com\/us\/industry-insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6735"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/listselfstorage.com\/us\/industry-insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6735"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}