Self-storage buildings are multiplying across New York City, where local officials would prefer to protect and grow the city's base of manufacturing and industrial jobs.
Winnie Hu reports on a proposed land use regulation in New York City that would require a special permit for self-storage sites. "The permit proposal requires the approval of the City Planning Commission and the City Council," according to Hu, and if approved, the review process is expected to take about two years to complete.
According to Hu, the city hopes that by limiting the development of self-storage sites, more land will be saved for manufacturing and industry.
Hu's focus on New York's proposed regulatory change, however, comes against the backdrop of the skyrocketing growth of the self-storage industry around the country. New York City's self-storage facilities lag the rest of the country. New York has 240 self-storage buildings, including about 60 that have opened in the last decade writes Hu. That amounts to "an average of 3.5 square feet per person compared with 7.2 nationally."
Other cities have taken an aggressive approach to limit self-storage facilities, according to Hu. "Miami clamped down on new self-storage buildings after they popped up on main commercial corridors, taking space away from restaurants, stores and gyms," and "Charleston, S.C., tightened its oversight of self-storage developments after half-a-dozen new ones were proposed in the past year."
FULL STORY: Self-Storage Offers Space for Stuff. But It Gobbles Up Space.
Kicking Commercial-to-Residential Conversions Into High Gear
A plan included in New York Gov. Andre Cuomo's draft 2022 budget will make it easier to do adaptive reuse for new housing in New York City.
Report: 'Racialized Displacement' Followed Rezonings in New York City
The rezonings in question occurred during the Bloomberg administration, but advocates are seizing on the relevance of that experience to the rezonings of the de Blasio administration.
Op-Ed: SoHo and NoHo Need a Zoning Overhaul
Two SoHo residents argue that outdated zoning holds the Manhattan neighborhoods back, requiring special permits or variances for many current residential and commercial uses.
Rethinking Redlining
For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California High-Speed Rail's Plan to Right Itself
The railroad's new CEO thinks he can get the project back on track. The stars will need to align this summer.
‘Displaced By Design:’ Report Spotlights Gentrification in Black Neighborhoods
A new report finds that roughly 15 percent of U.S. neighborhoods have been impacted by housing cost increases and displacement.
Nevada and Utah Groups Oppose Public Land Sell-Off Plan
A set of last-minute amendments to the budget reconciliation bill open up over half a million acres of federally managed land to sales.
More Than a Park: A Safe Haven for Generations in LA’s Chinatown
Alpine Recreation Center serves as a vital cultural and community hub in Los Angeles' Chinatown, offering a safe, welcoming space for generations of Chinese American residents to gather, connect, and thrive amidst rapid urban change.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Clovis
City of Moorpark
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions