Site Information • Section 5
most popular unit size for this customer category was the 10-by- 20 space. Approximately one-third of military customers rented units of this size, with one-fourth of military tenants leasing a 5-by-10 space and 23 percent selecting to rent a 10-by-10 unit. The remaining military customers, which accounted for 20 per- cent of the category, chose to rent other unit sizes.
Unit Location Makes A Difference In addition to providing the right unit mix to satisfy local de- mand, self-storage operators also strive to offer an optimal lay- out. They want to construct storage buildings in such a way that the units are easily accessible for all customers, with wide aisles that comfortably accommodate customers moving into and out of their self-storage units. In addition, drive-up access is a highly prized convenience for tenants that should be incorporated wherever possible. The footprint of the storage facility building is often
constricted by the size and dimen- sions of the site. In addition, many cities and municipalities levy strict requirements on new projects that must be satisfied before moving forward with any new development. Regulations may include access point rules, parking and egress require- ments, setback distances, and envi- ronmental policies—all of which can impact the size, shape and design of the self-storage building. Price plays a roll, as well. With the
industry’s ongoing transition from warehouse zones to retail areas, the cost of land deemed ideal for self- storage development continues to increase. To make such new proj- ects financially feasible, self-storage professionals are regularly forced to include additional stories on the storage buildings. While this solu- tion makes it possible to increase the number of storage units at a facility, it can hamper access somewhat. Of- ten, the second level storage spaces require elevator or walk-up access rather than allowing for much pre- ferred drive-up parking and access. The convenience trade-offs are nor- mally balanced by both perceived customer tolerance and bottom line financial feasibility. More than half of all self-storage
customers said they rented an exte- rior unit with drive-up access in 2013. Of the 63 percent of customers na- tionwide who stored their goods in
an exterior unit, 6 percent reported no drive-up access while 57 percent enjoyed easy, drive-up access to their exterior storage spaces. The remaining 37 percent of self-storage tenants rented an interior storage unit, with an almost equal number of those customers reporting elevator access as indicating they have drive-up access to their storage spaces. Examining the data by population type shows that the rate
of renting different unit location types varied between popu- lation density groupings. As seen in Chart 5.8, rural customers reported renting an exterior unit with drive-up parking acces- sibility. In fact, almost three of every four customers from low population areas described their units in this way. Only 6 percent of rural customers rented a drive-up unit with no direct drive-up parking. Interior units were relatively uncommon for rural stor- age customers. Nearly 16 percent reported renting an interior space with drive-up parking while the remaining 5 percent of rural customers leased an interior unit with elevator access.
Chart 5.8 – Unit Type by Location Exterior Unit - No Drive-up Parking Interior Unit - With Elevator Access Interior Unit - With Drive-up Access Exterior Unit - Drive-up Parking
0 8 16 24 32 40 48 56 64 72 80 Percentage of Renters
Source: SSA 2013 Self Storage Demand Study Chart 5.9 – Unit Type by Region Exterior Unit - No Drive-up Parking
South West
Interior Unit - With Elevator Access Interior Unit - With Drive-up Access Exterior Unit - Drive-up Parking
0 8 16 24 32 40 48 56 64 72 80 Percentage of Renters
Source: SSA 2013 Self Storage Demand Study 2015 Self-Storage Almanac 69
Midwest Northeast
Suburban Rural
Urban
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