Bow City Storage erecting secure site in west end
New firm’s 130,000-square-foot facility will offer six floors with units of various sizes
As home footprints get smaller, self-storage becomes more popular; giving homeowners space to keep seasonal items such as decorations, ski gear, bikes, camping gear and the like. And people who run home-based e-commerce companies have a need for secure space for inventory.
The rise in downtown and inner-city apartment living also increases the demand, and Bow City Storage is addressing that need with construction of a secure storage building in the west end of downtown.
The facility is on 10th Avenue S.W. on land just west of Gunther’s Building Centre, alongside the new access road to Crowchild Trail N., giving drivers a good glimpse of the impressive structure.
Bow City Storage is a new Calgary company launched by a group of private investors that will be run by general manager Siea Newton, who has lots of experience running storage centres.
Her office, and the headquarters for Bow City Storage, will be on the ground floor, where there will also be office space and a boardroom available for renters, plus a waiting room, coffee station and restrooms. Wi-fi will be available throughout the building. Newton says the company wants to be a good neighbour and plans to offer the public spaces for community events.
The huge structure was designed by Riddell Kurczaba
Architecture (RKA) to take the best advantage of the tight site that resulted in a 130,000-square-foot building offering six floors of storage in a mixture of sizes, ranging from 25 square feet to 300 square feet. All will be available on short-term, month-to-month rental.
RKA architect and project manager Amina Oyakhilome says she was able to design 200 units per upper floor and larger units on the main floor for commercial clients, with up to 450 square feet of space, 12-foot-high ceilings and the use of drive-in loading bays with hydraulic lifting apparatus.
Four bays will serve tenants who will have the use of dolly carts, boxes, tape, and helpful advice on packing and storage of items. Access to all floors will be via three oversized service elevators that stop only at the floor designated to the unit-holder.
The second floor is to be dedicated to traditional lock-and-key space. The remaining floors will be available to renters 24 hours per day, seven days per week, with keyless entry via Bluetooth technology on a smartphone. Another new feature will be the opportunity to book a unit online.
This means that a specific unit can be leased at any time of day and accessed by Bluetooth as soon as the online agreement has been electronically signed. No need for a special trip to the office.
The imposing exterior has been designed with ample curtain wall over the entire height of the building, and outside LED street lighting to allow people to get a view of what’s happening inside the building.
Construction of the new Bow City Storage facility is by Maple Reinders. It is expected to be completed later this year.
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