Lake Zurich approves nearly 1,100 self-storage units
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Macritchie Storage Fund of Calgary, Alberta, will redevelop this vacant building at 650 Church St. in Lake Zurich. The company plans 1,062 storage units of varying sizes on two floors, plus places to park recreational vehicles and boats. CubeSmart Self-Storage is expected to be hired to manage and operate the facility, village officials said. Bob Susnjara | Staff Photographer
Lake Zurich will be the future home of a storage facility with nearly 1,100 units plus space for recreational and other vehicles.
Village board trustees this week voted 6-0 in favor of Macritchie Storage Fund's proposal for 650 Church St., just north of Lake Zurich High School. Macritchie will redevelop what's been an unoccupied structure into a drive-through storage facility.
Built 44 years ago, the Church Street building most recently was occupied by Worldwide Transmissions from 1999 to 2010. Village officials said the 139,000-square-foot structure fell into foreclosure about six years ago and code violations were issued in 2013.
Macritchie associate Morgan Bullen said there will be plenty of room to maneuver in the drive-through facility.
"You can stop in there to unload," Bullen said. "There's plenty of space for the vehicles to come in and pass you if they need to."
Based in Calgary, Alberta, Macritchie specializes in revitalizing blighted warehouse buildings. The Canadian real estate sector company does not operate the storage facilities.
Lake Zurich officials said it's expected the Church Street operation will be managed and operated by CubeSmart Self-Storage, which has a multistory, climate-controlled facility under construction at Rand and Quentin roads in Kildeer.
Macritchie intends to have 1,062 storage units of varying sizes on two floors. There also will be office and display space.
Open areas will be created inside for RV and boat storage, complementing secure outdoor parking for cars and other vehicles.
Lake Zurich's advisory planning and zoning commission vetted the Macritchie project last month and gave it a thumbs-up ahead of this week's village board vote. Macritchie plans to follow through on village recommendations to beef up landscaping and install a fence on the property to block a potential shortcut to nearby Lake Zurich High sports fields.
"I like what's here," planning and zoning commission member Antonio Castillo said. "It's a real nice facility."
An exact opening date is not yet available.
In September, the Lake Zurich village board approved a plan to convert a building into a self-storage facility on the northeast corner of Route 22 and Buesching Road. Life Storage Inc. will have drive-through access and a sales office in the 88,000-square-foot structure.
