Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council approves U-Haul—s four-story self-storage plan on Boulevard 26 after lighting compromise
Summary
Council approved a planned four-story, climate-controlled U-Haul self-storage building on Boulevard 26 and allowed the company to use 5,000-Kelvin downcast lighting; staff and some council members favored a 3,000-Kelvin standard for dark-sky and residential adjacency, but council accepted U-Haul—s request as part of a non-residential planned development with design conditions.
The City Council on Dec. 9 approved a major expansion and new multi-story self-storage facility from U-Haul that reconfigures an existing U-Haul site at 8213 Boulevard 26 and adds a new 100,000-square-foot, four-story climate-controlled storage building on adjacent property at 8225 Boulevard 26.
U-Haul representative Matt Merrill told the council the company plans to operate the combined sites as one campus, increase landscaping and berms along Harwood and Boulevard 26, and provide secure, alarmed indoor units. "There's a huge need for self storage in North Richland Hills," Merrill said during the presentation, pointing to high occupancy rates and a gap in modern indoor storage stock.
Staff and the Planning & Zoning Commission recommended approval as a non-residential planned development (NRPD) to capture architectural standards, site layout, landscaping, staging for truck/trailer rental, and shared access easements. Staff—s analysis noted: - The new building would add roughly 936 units (applicant site plan figure) and the existing facility already has on the order of 674—700 units, consistent with a local market that currently averages roughly 93% occupancy at existing facilities. - The applicant will provide enhanced landscaping, berming and a five-foot sidewalk along Boulevard 26 and Harwood Road (P&Z recommended a 5-foot sidewalk), and will replace or upgrade lighting and building fixtures per the PD.
A central point of debate was exterior lighting. Staff recommended a 3,000-Kelvin maximum, citing International Dark-Sky Association guidance and residential adjacency across Harwood Road. U-Haul requested permission to use 5,000-Kelvin downcast LED fixtures; their representative said the company's existing site and building lighting are already at roughly that color temperature and replacing every fixture twice would be costly. A local business owner and lighting contractor urged flexibility, arguing 3,000 K is not always used for street or commercial lights.
Council amended the ordinance to explicitly allow 5,000-Kelvin lighting on the site, while the PD retains requirements for downcast fixtures, additional landscaping (35-foot setback on Harwood and 20-foot on Boulevard 26 in the proposal) and DRC site-plan review. The ordinance also removes a historic planting requirement that staff could not verify had ever been installed.
Council voted to approve ordinance 3883 with the lighting allowance; the motion passed 7-0.
What this means: U-Haul will move forward with the consolidated site and build the four-story storage building. Final construction plans, materials and some details (for example, final façade articulation and DRC-level site adjustments) still require development-review-committee approval under the PD exhibit. The council—s lighting decision is site-specific and differs from the staff recommendation aimed at minimizing light pollution near residences.
Provenance: discussion and votes on this application occurred in the public hearing and P&Z presentation between SEG 3159 and SEG 4147.
