Gyory and Kasman develop three-story, 48,000 s/f Thornwood Self Storage Center: $4.325 million project

Thornwood Self Storage Center, LLC has developed a state-of-the-art self-storage facility at 950 Broadway. The Thornwood Self Storage Center project principals are: Michael Gyory and Dan Kasman. The property consists of 0.76 acres situated in a "M-2, light industry" zone and is properly zoned for a storage business. Site approvals were granted for the conversion to storage by the town of Mt. Pleasant Planning Board and Architectural Review Board. The property is served by public water supply and county sewer system. Thornwood Self Storage has employed Greg McWilliams of Ossining to act as exterior architect and site planner. Nouredeen Benabdelhak of Alnour Engineering is the design and structural engineer. The building, 950 Broadway, was originally constructed in 1962 by Thomas Gyory on land purchased from the local Marble quarry. The original use for the property was as a single user furniture showroom and warehouse. The structure totaling 32,000 s/f, consisted of an uninsulated concrete block and steel two-floor building. The internal renovation has reconfigured the project to consist of three floors and 48,000 s/f of developed self-storage space. The new floors were constructed after a complete demo of the interior, including removing the old wooden floor joists and then cutting and lowering the steel beams 30" into their new elevation. The new concrete main floor then acted as bracing for construction of an all new upper floor. All finished floors are poured concrete. The skin of the building will be aesthetically improved with a new awning covered grade level entrance off the north parking lot. Access to the first floor lobby will be either through double automatic doors or the overhead garage doors. A high speed FasTrax barrier door will protect the lobby area from great temperature swings. Tenants can access their units on other levels by using one of the two 4,500-pound Canton service elevators. Storage units will range in size from 5'x5' to 20'x20'. The unit mix calls for 63 units. All units will be heated and air conditioned. Thornwood Self Storage will control access to the site by use of key codes and a security gate at the property's driveway. Key pad access will also be required at the front door. Financial highlights: * Total project hard cost: $2.525 million. * Total project financing: $4.325 million. All construction funding was made available through Wells Fargo Bank, NA, Middle Market Real Estate Division. The project's general contractor is Sunny Ridge Homes, Inc. It is wholly owned by Gyory who wears two hats to control the building of the storage facility. Air Professionals has designed and installed a heating and air conditioning system with 12 Carrier Infinity 15 SEER Units, Energy Star compliant with a Puron two-speed air conditioner, heat pump, gas/electric and hybrid heat dual-fuel system. Each system, with it's ducted air distribution is operated through Carrier's Inifinity Control System and tied to a Wi-Fi network with Carrier's software program back to a central computer. Merv Blank, owner of Air Professioinal Associates, LLC, said that he is very proud of this project and his team that put this project together in a very cost effective manner. "Real estate developers continue to see the benefits of investing in solar energy especially in N.Y. where the combined federal and state incentives are at an all time high," said Jared Haines, president, Mercury Solar Systems. "We commend Dan Kasman and Michael Gyory for incorporating solar into the design of the Thornwood Self Storage Center and look forward to working together in the months ahead on this important environmental initiative." Thornwood Self Storage Center is a member of the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) and while the redevelopment is not a full LEED project, they have taken many steps to build green. Among them are: * Alleviating traffic congestions and reducing auto emissions. According to the Institute of Transportation Engineers (Trip Generation Manual, 7th Edition), the average cars trips generated by a storage facility of 48,000 gross s/f is 12.48 trips during peak p.m. hours. The previous use of the building as a health club/warehouse generated 72.9 trips; therefore, the conversion to self storage has reduced car trips by 84%! * Reuse of existing building including; a design which reused the existing steel beams and columns, thereby conserving resources, reducing waste and limiting environmental impact. * Recycling of construction debris and reclaiming wooden floor joists, thereby diverting from landfills and incineration. * Minimizing energy requirements through: energy efficient heating and cooling systems, occupancy sensor lighting, low wattage energy efficient lighting fixtures, high efficiency glass glazing. * Pending installation of renewal energy Grid-Connected 80Kw Photovoltaic (PV-Solar) System substantially reducing energy consumption and conserving valuable resources and avoiding emissions. * Minimizing disruptive site development by using existing building, limiting disturbance to surroundings, and planting adaptive and local vegetation. * Low impact water use. * Enlisted New York Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) certified engineers O'Dea, Lynch & Abbattista to assist in the energy efficient development in accordance with NYSERDA guidelines. * Use of Icynene Insulation, a spray on water based green low density foam insulation which may be used in fire-resistance rated construction. They have reached roof insulation value of R-30 and wall insulation of greater than R-12. The proposed development will fill the need in a market area that is underserved. The primary trade area for a self-storage facility is a three to five mile radius. There is no modern self-storage facility serving the needs of the local residential and business community. The occupancy rates for self-storage in the Westchester area are strong. Local competitors are operating at 80-90% occupancy. Area rental rates are also high and stable. Due to the presence of many businesses in the area, commercial self storage users can be expected to account for up to 25% of the storage business.