Council committee recommends legislative review for Storage 5 conversion at 1171 S. Cameron St.; members press owner on local hire and floodplain safeguards
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Summary
The community and economic development committee recommended Resolution 20 to the legislative agenda for a plan to convert 1171 S. Cameron St. into a self‑storage facility. Council questioned floodplain requirements, MBE/WBE participation and local hiring; the applicant pledged to use local contractors for most trades and to comply with planning conditions.
The community and economic development committee recommended adding Resolution 20 of 2026 to the council’s legislative agenda, a preliminary and final land development plan to convert an underused office building at 1171 South Cameron Street into a self‑storage facility operated by Extra Space Storage and owned by Storage 5 Harrisburg LLC.
Planner Mister Knight told council the property has been vacant since about 2020 and that the planning commission recommended approval with two conditions: compliance with floodplain regulations in FEMA AE areas (limiting investment thresholds for existing structures and requiring new structures to be elevated a foot and a half above base flood elevation) and construction of a separate north‑side stairway to provide dedicated pedestrian access to the proposed curb bump out.
Chris Catania, the project owner, said the proposal converts interior space and adds units around the building and in the parking lot; he estimated construction value at about $6.7 million and a total project cost near $10 million, with an estimated 50–100 temporary construction jobs and two permanent on‑site positions. Catania and engineer Steven Taylor said local trades (HVAC, plumbing, electrical, drywall) would be used and estimated more than 50% of construction spend could remain within the local economy, though certain proprietary storage unit components may be procured from national suppliers.
Vice President Jones pressed the team on MBE/WBE/DBE participation after the application record listed "no" for those categories; Catania said that response referred to design consultants, not construction, and pledged to solicit minority‑ and women‑owned subcontractors and to coordinate with the city’s diversity officer and compiled local‑contractor lists. Council members also asked about refuse collection and unit auction procedures; Knight said Public Works would set refuse/disposal requirements and the management company would follow state statute for abandoned‑unit auctions.
Given the applicant’s commitments to meet planning conditions and to coordinate with city staff on local contracting, the committee recommended Resolution 20 be placed on the legislative agenda for formal action.
