The Hastings City Council on Aug. 8, 2025, approved a conditional-use permit allowing indoor, climate-controlled self-storage inside the former big-box retail building at 905 Theater Drive, part of the Theater District development.

Tom Houston, general counsel for Perry Reed Properties, which represents Theater District LLC, told the council the building contains roughly 90,000 square feet, with about 30,000 square feet fronting the street now largely occupied by a mix of tenants. He said the developer proposes converting much of the remaining interior area to climate-controlled, indoor self storage. “We think we can turn that 60,000 square foot into a productive use and make it a minimal impact upon our existing businesses or the neighborhood in general,” Houston said.

Nut graf: The Planning Department and Planning Commission recommended approval, and the council approved Resolution No. 2025-25 (recorded in the meeting as Resolution number 20 25 dash 25) after a brief public hearing. Staff noted the storage use is a conditional use in the C3 Commercial Business Plan District; planning staff and commissioners concluded the indoor storage would generate little traffic, would use existing infrastructure, and would preserve the existing building rather than promote demolition.

Details from the presentation and discussion
- Building size and occupancy: Houston described a 90,000-square-foot structure, with approximately 30,000 square feet used for fronting commercial tenants (about 14,500 sq ft leased to the State of Nebraska and about 6,000 sq ft to a fitness tenant); roughly 60,000 sq ft remained climate controlled and underused. - Proposed self-storage footprint: Houston said the storage use would occupy about 45,000 of an approximate 55,000-square-foot portion being considered for new tenants; the remainder (about 10,000 sq ft) was not yet committed to a use. - Use restrictions: The design targets household goods storage (climate-controlled units), not outdoor vehicle or RV storage; staff noted vehicle/RV use would raise fire-code and other safety issues. - Public input: Planning staff reported receiving one letter of opposition from a resident who appeared to misunderstand that the storage would be inside the building. Staff said it had responded to that letter and that the planning commission recommended approval 5-0.

The council approved the resolution 7-0. Motion to approve the resolution was recorded as "Motion by Hoffman, second by Huntley." Houston also provided a brief update on the broader Theater District redevelopment, saying the ownership acquired the former Imperial Mall in 2020, demolished roughly 250,000 square feet of vacant mall space, opened a theater in 2023 and several multifamily buildings and commercial suites since then, and estimated about $40 million in local investment since the project began.

Ending
Planning staff said the indoor design would minimize noise and traffic impacts and preserve property values by maintaining the existing building. The council approved the conditional use permit and instructed staff to proceed with the permitting steps.

Quote
Tom Houston (on the Theater District’s progress): “Since we started the development of Theater District, we've invested approximately $40,000,000 in the city of Hastings, and we think that long term, this is gonna be a very healthy addition for West Hastings in particular and the city of Hastings in general.”