One of Essex county’s most prominent villages will be getting a new storage facility that includes greenery and public space following the sale of several properties not far from South Orange’s train stations.
Larry Weiss of Elite Realtors recently announced the sale of 311-317 Valley Street and several other adjoining properties along Lackawanna Place. Weiss represented both the sellers and Storage Platforms, who purchased the five parcels and will be bringing a four-story storage facility to the land.
Storage Platforms won approvals last October to build a new 140,000-square-foot self-storage facility on the land, which has been designed by Hoboken-based Marchetto Higgins Stieve to highlight the classic architecture found in many businesses in the center of South Orange.
The development of the properties will also provide additional park space adjacent to the building along Founders Park including a public bathroom, a landscaping closet, and a 1,000-square-foot community room. A white screen on the north side of the storage building will be used to project movies during the summer months.
“I am extremely proud that bringing the storage facility project to fruition increases tax revenue to South Orange without burdening the school system,” said Weiss. “As a South Orange resident, I look forward to enjoying an outdoor movie while relaxing with my family, friends, and SOMA neighbors in Founders Park.”
Wider sidewalks and streetscape improvements will also be coming to Valley Street as part of the project, although several buildings along the stretch will need to be demolished before proper construction can begin on the self-storage complex. A timeline as to when the project could commence has not been announced.
