Two different developers have recently proposed new climate-controlled, self-storage facilities in the city of Wilmington, one in an existing downtown building and the other on Oleander Drive.

Erik Hemingway, owner of Elm Builders, plans to offer storage units in the former Wilmington Printing Co. building at 420 N. Fourth St. He said Thursday that the closing of the U-Haul business at 508 N. Third St., acquired by the N.C. Department of Transportation because the Wilmington Multimodal Transportation Center is planned for the site, left a void in the area.

"With apartments coming, we felt like that might be a good fit," Hemingway said of his plans for the Fourth Street property, which he has under contract. 

Those apartments include Sawmill Point, which is under construction, and Pier 33, both along the northern riverfront in downtown Wilmington, and RIVERPLACE, the proposed Water Street parking deck redevelopment project that's expected to include apartments.

Hemingway said his company, which also has a mini-storage facility in Arizona, plans to try using a kiosk at the North Fourth Street location where customers can rent units by swiping their credit cards, receiving texts or emails when rent is due. He said millennials in particular, generally defined as people who are ages 19 to 35, who are apartment dwellers tend to want to store their bulkier possessions, from bikes to camping gear, elsewhere. That's why he expects many of the units in the 25,000-square-foot facility to be smaller, but larger units will also be in the mix, he said.

Hemingway said Thursday that he has been working with J. Larsen of Landmark Sotheby's International Realty on buying the North Fourth Street property while Don Harley, a broker with Coldwell Banker Commercial Sun Coast Partners, is representing the seller.

Harley is also the listing agent for the Oleander Drive property that developer Howard Penton has under contract, the site where Penton wants to construct a larger self-storage facility that will include six buildings. Penton is considering the project an annex of the Oleander Self Storage facility his company, Penton Development, built in the corridor about two years ago.

Penton said the new storage facility at 5122 Oleander Drive will remain in Penton Development's investments portfolio.

"Lease-up on these facilities is a slow process, but if you are a long-term, income-producing owner, it's a great location," Penton said of the heavily traveled Oleander Drive corridor. 

The North Fourth Street site plan is on the Feb. 25 agenda of the city's Technical Review Committee, and the Oleander proposal is expected to be reviewed by the TRC on March 3, according to the city's project tracking website.