A proposed 50,000-square-foot storage facility received the green light Monday when the Hermiston City Council voted to amend the Hermiston Zoning Ordinance.
The council voted to amend it by creating a new neighborhood commercial overlay zone. The overlay zone is on land on the north side of W. Highland Avenue and west of S.W. 11th Street.
The land is currently zoned C-2 for commercial use. The amendment request was made by Steve Richardson of Eastern Oregon Development. The amendment retains the C-2 zoning but now allows for additional use such as mini-storage. The council also voted to allow multi-family dwelling on the land.
Richardson said there is a need for additional storage facilities in Hermiston. He said there are nine facilities in the Hermiston area, but only five are inside the city limits. He also paid for a study that shows the nine facilities have a 95 percent occupancy rate. Richardson also went door-to-door in the area asking people to sign a petition requesting more storage facilities and said 108 of 110 people signed the petition.
He said he expects the facility to have between 300 and 370 units for rent.
The large tract of property that fronts W. Highland and S.W. 11th Street has been vacant for years with neighbors complaining about dust blowing onto their property.
