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Applicant argues Borders building reuse and nearby storage demand justify zoning change
Summary
Paul Warner, the project's architect, told commissioners the Borders building has sat vacant for about 15 years and that climate-controlled interior storage would serve downtown apartment residents and help reactivate the site; he urged flexibility in standards and noted avoid allowing storage on Mass Street frontages.
Paul Warner of Paul Warner Architects presented the applicant's case that converting the former Borders building at 700 New Hampshire to a mixed-use structure that includes climate-controlled interior storage would be an appropriate downtown reuse. Warner said the building has been vacant for about 15 years and that the city's downtown vacancy pattern and the growth of smaller apartment units increase local demand for nearby storage: "What we need is more units downtown... The more units living downtown, there will be more demand for some climate controlled storage."
Warner acknowledged the use is not appropriate everywhere and said staff and the applicant discussed limiting locations (for example, excluding Mass Street frontages) or using a special-use permit to evaluate proposals case-by-case. He argued that smaller climate-controlled units ("5 by 10s, 10 by 10s") are distinct from large warehouse-style self-storage and can coexist with retail and housing in retrofit projects. Warner also told commissioners that the applicant's aim was practical reuse: "This is about Borders… it's a great use for the Borders Building," and urged the commission to allow a path for consideration rather than precluding conversion by keeping the use disallowed.
