14 Jan 2020
LANSING, Mich., Jan., 2020 /PRNewswire/ --
U-Haul® is unveiling details and the sustainability impact its adaptive reuse project would have at the closed Kmart® store in Lansing Michigan.
The building, erected in 1970, was vacated in 2017. U-Haul is pursuing acquisition of the 9.38-acre property, which has been awaiting a permanent tenant.
Adaptive reuse plans for the 119,791-square-foot building include about 800 indoor self-storage units, giving customers access to a variety of climate-controlled storage rooms with high-tech security features at affordable price points.
"U-Haul has been repurposing buildings for decades, and we are eager to bring our sustainable practice to Lansing," stated Jon Gilmore, U-Haul Company of Western Michigan president. "We have been working closely with the Lansing City Council and our neighbors to develop a site plan that's best for everyone."
U-Haul Storage at Jolly & Cedar will be managed by the longstanding U-Haul facility at 5020 S. Cedar. The new project will also offer customers a U-Haul Reuse Center – a redistribution area where gently used household items, furniture, sporting equipment, bikes and clothing can be donated and shared amongst the community.
By repurposing the former Kmart building, U-Haul will prevent the use of approximately 938 tons of metal manufacturing and transportation (the amount of steel used to make 945 passenger cars); avoid 6,008 tons of new concrete pours (enough to create 121 miles of concrete blocks); keep 10,727 tons of building and demolition debris out of landfills (avoiding 413 dump trucks traveling 8,664 miles); and stop 6,235,598 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions from entering the atmosphere (the carbon emissions of 479 large SUVs or pickup trucks for one year).
-"We don't want this building to become blight on South Lansing, and we have added much-needed green space to the property," Gilmore said. "Big-box stores offer a unique opportunity for U-Haul. We take these buildings, which are often vacant for years, and transform them into moving and self-storage facilities that revitalize the surrounding neighborhoods and business community. Approximately 70% of our existing facilities are the result of adaptive reuse."
Pursuit of this property is driven by U-Haul Corporate Sustainability initiatives: U-Haul supports infill developments to help local communities lower their carbon footprint. The 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.
Contact parent store U-Haul Moving & Storage at Jolly & Cedar at (517) 394-0075 or stop by to visit general manager James Powell and his team. Hours of operation are 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Thursday and Saturday; 7 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday; and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. Reserve equipment at uhaul.com or contact Reservations at 1-800-GO-UHAUL.
Since 1945, U-Haul has been the No. 1 choice of do-it-yourself movers, with a network of 22,000 locations across all 50 states and 10 Canadian provinces. U-Haul Truck Share 24/7 offers secure access to U-Haul trucks every hour of every day through the customer dispatch option on their smartphones and our proprietary Live Verify technology. Our customers' patronage has enabled the U-Haul fleet to grow to approximately 167,000 trucks, 120,000 trailers and 43,000 towing devices. U-Haul offers nearly 697,000 rooms and 60.7 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.
