Adaptive Reuse: U-Haul Repurposing Vacant Kmart for Self-Storage in Shawnee

"This area of Oklahoma has been lacking the quality self-storage that U-Haul can offer," said Scott Brackin, U-Haul Company of Oklahoma City president. "And our customers in Shawnee have been driving 25 miles outside the city to find affordable self-move equipment and services. A state-of-the-art facility to meet these basic needs is a must."

Property renovations will soon render 677 indoor self-storage units with climate-control and high-tech security features at affordable price points. U-Box portable moving and storage containers, U-Haul Remote 24/7® access, professional hitch installation, propane and much more will also be available on the 8.1-acre lot.

Contact U-Haul Moving & Storage of Shawnee at (405) 273-0336 or stop by to see our progress. Hours of operation are 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday. Reserve equipment at uhaul.com or contact Reservations at 1-800-GO-UHAUL.

The recent acquisition of the Shawnee facility was driven by U-Haul Company's Corporate Sustainability initiatives: U-Haul supports infill developments to help local communities lower their carbon footprint. Our adaptive reuse of existing buildings reduces the amount of energy and resources required for new-building materials and helps cities reduce their unwanted inventory of unused buildings.

By repurposing the former Kmart rather than building from the ground up, U-Haul prevented the use of 204 tons of metal manufacturing and transportation (the amount of steel used to make 206 passenger cars); avoided 4,494 tons of new concrete pours (enough to create 91 miles of concrete blocks); kept 4,787 tons of building and demolition debris out of landfills (avoiding 148 dump trucks traveling 3,866 miles); and stopped 2,634,663 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions from entering the atmosphere (the carbon emissions of 202 large SUVs or pickup trucks for one year).

"The cooperation of our city officials and neighbors has been amazing," Brackin said. "Everyone has been so supportive and we are excited to offer an attractive, convenient and efficient self-move and self-storage facility to our neighbors in Shawnee."

Brackin expects to maintain a staff of 10 of more Team Members when the facility is fully operational. U-Haul will look to hire locally to promote job growth within the Shawnee community. U-Haul always encourages local contractors to bid on renovation work.

The arrival of U-Haul Truck Share 24/7® is revolutionizing the moving industry through its more convenient, more secure way to pick up and return a truck. U-Haul live verification technology allows rental transactions to be carried out entirely on a smartphone at any hour – day or night. There are no membership fees. Simply visit uhaul.com to create an online account.

For self-movers who aim to keep their costs low but need extra hands to help with their move, MovingHelp.com has been successfully pairing customers with reliable Moving Help® Service Providers for more than a decade. The online marketplace lets customers shop and compare local moving companies that provide labor services including: loading and unloading, packing and unpacking, cleaning, and U-Box pick up/delivery. Unedited customer reviews, transparent pricing and payment release subject to customer approval have led to 93 percent of Moving Help users rating their experience four stars or higher.

About U-Haul

Since 1945, U-Haul has been the No. 1 choice of do-it-yourself movers, with a network of more than 21,000 locations across all 50 states and 10 Canadian provinces. U-Haul Truck Share 24/7 now offers customers access to U-Haul trucks every hour of every day through the self-service options on their internet-connected mobile devices. U-Haul customers' patronage has enabled the U-Haul fleet to grow to more than 150,000 trucks, 112,000 trailers and 40,000 towing devices. U-Haul offers more than 581,000 rooms and more than 51 million square feet of self-storage space at owned and managed facilities throughout North America. U-Haul is the largest installer of permanent trailer hitches in the automotive aftermarket industry and is the largest retailer of propane in the U.S.

Contact:

Andrea Batchelor
Jeff Lockridge
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: 602-263-6981
Website: uhaul.com

SOURCE U-Haul