U-Haul lays out plan for acquisition of Alton Kmart building
U-Haul will soon be showcasing a modern self-storage facility in Alton thanks to the planned acquisition of a former Kmart store at 2851 Homer Adams Parkway.
U-Haul has plans to acquire the 84,180-square-foot building in August and has been leasing the building since May 12. U-Haul Moving & Storage of Alton is currently serving customers out of a temporary showroom and offering a line of moving supplies.
Adaptive reuse of the property will render approximately 700 self-storage rooms, including climate-controlled units with what the company describes as high-tech security features at affordable price points. Truck and trailer sharing, towing equipment, propane, U-Box portable moving and storage containers, hitch installation and more will also be offered on the 27.8-acre lot.
“The Seminary Plaza is a well-known shopping center, and we are excited to work with the existing tenants to create a bustling space for businesses to thrive,” said Mike White, U-Haul Company of Missouri Northeast president. “Our city officials and neighbors have been very supportive and we are eager to get to work on the quality self-storage this community desires.”
General manager of the store is Joe Redden.
The acquisition of the Alton property is 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.
“The Kmart portion of this property, where U-Haul will be operating, was vacant for about eight months,” White said. “No one was serious about occupying this building and the community was beginning to worry it would suffer the same fate as other large box stores. We didn’t want to see this building go dark and fall into disrepair. Our adaptive reuse of this site will benefit U-Haul, the environment and the community.”
U-Haul will look to hire locally to promote job growth within the Alton community. White expects to maintain a staff of 10 or more Team Members when the facility is fully operational. U-Haul always encourages local contractors to bid on renovation work.
