Canadian Self Storage | Patrick Wood

Recently, I have been doing a great deal of work in the Lower Mainland of BC. Part of this is the very hot market for storage and part is wanting to know what sleeping in my own bed for more than a couple of days a week feels like. In this work I have come across a great deal of information put together by various levels of government on demographic trends in the area. One of the most striking to me was the work put together by Metro Vancouver on the projected population increase in the area that was released in December 2018.

Projected population growth
In this study, which is only for Metro Vancouver, there is a projection of 1 Million new residents by 2050 assuming a moderate growth trend. If we add to this the expected population growth in the municipalities that are not included in Metro Vancouver we see a total of 1.25 Million new residents in the next 30 years.

New Storage Demand
In the work noted above I have been doing a fair amount of demand analysis of the Vancouver market. This work has led me to the conclusion that on the whole, The Lower Mainland demand from 3.75-4.25 Square Feet per Capita at present. Some areas demand far more while others demand less but as an average, I feel this range is easily supportable. A quick bit of math then shows us the estimated new storage demand in the Lower Mainland by 2050 to be between 5.63 Million and 6.38 Million Square Feet. Where are we going build all of this Storage?

Land Issues
At present, industrial land is very scarce in a great deal of Metro Vancouver with prices in Vancouver proper reaching as high as 28-30 Million dollars for an acre of prime industrial land.  Price do fall as you move toward the Fraser Valley however these process have seen significant increases in the past 3 years as well.

Development Issues
In some parts of Metro Vancouver, there are very big barriers to new Self Storage development.  In Vancouver, a large portion of the remaining industrial redevelopment land known as False Creek Flats has had Self Storage listed as a prohibited use as it does not generate the desired employment levels the city would like to see in the area.  In addition to this, the City of Burnaby is very averse to any new Self Storage development within their city and this has greatly reduced new facilities within Burnaby.

Solutions
Moving forward, especially in areas that are more difficult to develop in, a strategy of mixed-use development with office and retail may be the best option. We see this in many areas of the United states where population density is high and land for self-storage is difficult to acquire. In addition to this, working proactively with municipalities to help them better understand the benefits of self-storage as well as the fact that it is a needed service by many of their residents should also help ease the development issues. 

How NationWide Self Storage Plans to Meet Storage Demand

NationWide Self Storage is striving to meet the demand of storage space in Metro Vancouver with its two upcoming locations in Pender St and Boundary Rd.

CANADIAN SELF STORAGE INFO | Patrick Wood | April 26, 2019 | Read complete article via a printable PDF.