Neighbors raise concerns about 42K-square-foot storage units planned in SC town
A commercial storefront on one of Irmo’s main drags could become 42,000 square feet of storage units, drawing complaints from some neighbors of the property.
The owner of the property at 7949 Broad River Road — which already has a PrimeSpace Storage facility alongside other commercial space in a storefront near the intersection with North Woodrow Street — is requesting a zoning change that would allow the construction of a new storage facility on a portion of the site’s parking lot.
In 2023, Irmo Town Council limited self-storage units to light manufacturing areas, among other restrictions. But the town planning commission on May 11 supported a change, with requirements for 15-feet of landscaping between the facility and the roadway, plus improvements to the building facade and parking lot.
The change will be up for a final vote by Irmo Town Council on Tuesday.
Carolyn Stratton, the vice president of operations at PrimeSpace Storage, said the owner of the property were looking to expand the business after struggling to fill many of the other commercial spaces in the existing building.
“We’ve had vacant retail there for years,” Stratton said. “It’s not fully functioning at the level we would want it to be. We’ve had a lot of trouble trying to rent out the vacant units, so we’ve decided to do something we’re good at and know works.”
But neighbors have expressed concern about such a large storage space going up nearby. Peggie Diimmler has lived in the neighboring Old Friarsgate neighborhood for more than 50 years. She would like to see the space, which at one point housed a BiLo, used for something that could be useful to the people in her community.
“There’s plenty of parking there,” Diimmler said. “It would be nice if they could add some stores or restaurants. Even small restaurants would feel very neighborly.”
Henry Martin, who lives just up the road in Ballentine, has long complained that Irmo doesn’t have a true downtown retail area, and sees a large storage facility on Broad River as just moving further away from that kind of town vision.
“Here’s a gateway to the town, they’re putting up signs saying ‘Welcome to Irmo,’ and then there’s a fenced-off area with two sets of storage units and no shops or restaurants, with a nice sidewalk running up to it,” Martin said.
Town Councilman Gabriel Penfield is supportive of sticking with the town’s stricter 2023 rules on storage units, even for an existing company like the one on Broad River Road, especially for one of the main roadways into town.
“They did that for a reason, and that reason is still true today,” Penfield said of the previous council vote. “The question is, is this the best use of the space. If the community doesn’t agree with that and have to break our own rules to do it, I don’t think it is.”
Stratton said the company has been working with the town to come up with a successful design for the space that will mitigate residents’ concerns.
“Some are worried it would be an eyesore, but we’ve been working with the town to be responsible,” she said.
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