Lansing, MI – The City of Lansing, the Lansing Economic Area Partnership (LEAP), and Macritchie Storage are pleased to announce the Grand Opening Celebration of a newly remodeled building at 506 S Hosmer Street in Lansing. The facility has been transformed into CubeSmart Self-Storage, which offers 600 climate controlled self-storage units, as well as secured parking spaces for RV and boat storage.

LEAP and the City of Lansing worked with the developer, Macritchie Storage, to save the existing structure from demolition, and rehabilitate the long-vacant and underutilized building back into service. Renovations have now stabilized the structure, accessibility, and fire safety of the building so that it meets all modern codes.

Will Matthews, Principal of Macritchie, said “It has been a pleasure to work with Mayor Schor, the City of Lansing, and LEAP, who were all very helpful and supportive of this project.”

Along with a $2.9 million investment from the developer, the project was approved by the City of Lansing for an Obsolete Property Rehabilitation Act (“OPRA”) in early 2017. The project is anticipated to generate $80,000 in property taxes for the city during the abatement period and included a project investment of $2.9 million from the developer. The project also included local spending through the construction process and created five local jobs.

“My administration is focused on rehabbing and rebuilding the infrastructure of our great city. Upgrading a building on the Hosmer corridor is an important part of the strategy. I am excited to see the reviews of this building, the taxes that will be captured for services as a result, and all the work that will be coming in this part of our community in the next few months and years,” said Lansing Mayor Andy Schor.

The property has a long history of industrial use. In 1906, the property was occupied by W.S. Olds Motor Works and Ideal Gas Engine Company was listed for the Property in 1911. By 1916, Michigan Screw Company operated on the Property. The Liquor Control Commission purchased the property in 1933 and began occupancy after renovations were completed. The Liquor Control Commission occupied the property until approximately 1977. Prior to the conversion to self-storage the building was underutilized and unoccupied for a number of years. The approximately 80,000 gross square foot building was purchased by the developer in December 2016.

“A core principle of sustainable economic development is to save historic structures when appropriate and possible,” said Bob Trezise, President and CEO of LEAP. “Any time we can save a building from collapse or demolition and bring it back into active use, we consider it a success. Congratulations and thank you to Macritchie Storage for the extensive effort and investment made to save this building.”

CubeSmart will hold a Grand Opening Celebration on Tuesday June 5, 2018 from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. which will be open to the public. The event will include free food and beverages, giveaways, prizes and special grand opening day discounts. The event will also offer a building tour followed by an official ribbon cutting ceremony.