The old Boland Maloney Lumber Yard at 913 East Main Street is well on its way toward becoming a mini storage warehouse. Windows have been cut in a zigzag pattern into the metal building and a fresh coat of orange and green paint has been applied. The project, named City Space, is being developed by Greg Williams, Mark Helm, and Eleanor Bingham.
City Space will contain several hundred self-storage units opening in phases distributed over 60,000 square feet and two floors. Average unit sizes are expected to be around 100 square feet. The investors spent about $2.3 million for the 1.3 acre property and subsequent renovations.
According to a Business First report from June, the warehouse will open in phases. The first phase, which was scheduled to open in late August, and the second phase each contain 240 units and the remaining space will be temporarily taken by Sign4, a commercial sign company, until storage demand warrants expansion.
The developers say they found a need for mini-storage in Louisville’s urban neighborhoods as new city residents move into smaller units. A slogan on a sign for the new City Space warehouse proudly reads, “Louisville’s First Urban Self Storage.”
While a mini-storage warehouse might not be all that exciting and is obviously not the most desirable use for the site, the property spanning from Main Street to Washington Street represents a valuable investment by the developers of the Waterfront Park Place tower and could one day substantially improve Butchertown.
Hopefully the vision that created one of Louisville’s most high-profile residential projects will transform the site into a great mixed-use development. For the foreseeable future, however, the site will remain a warehouse as the $2.3 million investment pays itself off.
They have also taken up a section of sidewalk along the building front and planted it. While I’m not in love with the design ( a few ornamental trees at the curbside would have been nice), it does soften that end of Main which is literally around the corner from me. I think it’s a nice addition. Wonder what the storage fees are? I have stuff at lower Brownsboro now, but would be willing to relocate it.
While I wasn’t crazy about a storage warehouse taking up this valuable real estate I must say that the developers have done a good job on the remodel. Windows, street landscaping and a decent paint job that is not a boring beige color, maybe some other developers in the area can learn a few things from this crew.