With the growing number of housing developments popping up in Londonderry as of late, it would only make sense for another company to step in and offer more storage units as well.
Brian Pratt of CLD Consulting Engineers recently came before the Londonderry Planning Board on May 10 to propose a conceptual design for a seven hundred unit storage facility for Bluebird Self Storage.
The building, which would be built at 76 Perkins Road, between the Two Guys Smoke Shop and Sleep Inn off of Exit 5, would be three stories tall, climate controlled and have multiple drop-off points on the front, side and back of the building. It would be Bluebird’s fourth location, already hosting spots in Rochester and Manchester, as well as one in the process of being built in Bedford. In all, the property would span roughly one hundred thousand square feet.
One thing that Pratt emphasized was Bluebird’s focus on making their facilities aesthetically pleasing. Showcasing a drawn rendering of their future Bedford facility, Pratt showed how there was a concerted effort to keep the facilities distinct, constructing towers on the corners of the structure, using a mixture of different materials for the walls and emphasizing landscaping. Pratt noted that Bluebird “pride themselves on having a really nice looking building” in order to quell local concerns over how storage facilities are not always visually pleasing.
As this was simply a conceptual design proposal, with the blueprints for the building only being about one-fifth of the way done, no voting or decision was made by the board, with the focus instead on preliminary questions to gauge the project.
One of the major concerns of the board was the use of curve cuts for entrances to the property, namely the two being proposed. Both Mary Wing Soares and Chris Davies voiced their concerns on this, Davies highlighting the potential for increased cross traffic in an already congested road with another curve cut leading to the Sleep Inn and Soares believing that one entrance would be sufficient.
Signage was also brought up. Davies suggested that the facility’s single sign, which was proposed to be along Perkins Road, should instead be built on the northeast section of the property so that it would face the highway.
The building’s effect on the nearby residents’ view was mentioned by Leitha Reilly, who hoped for more of a buffer between Perkins Road and the facility, questioning “will [residents] be overwhelmed by staring up at a three-story building?” Martin Srugis, chairman of the Heritage Commission, also spoke out against the building’s proximity to residents, suggesting the front parking be moved behind the building.
Beyond these matters, however, the meeting was of a relatively positive nature. The board seemed appreciative of the focus on producing a charming design, hoping for use of purple lilacs in the design, and Pratt seemed quite comfortable in his explanation of the current plans regardless of the topic, including drainage, security features and the sizes of the individual units.
A date for future deliberation has not yet been set, as CLD still needs to establish a more concrete site plan before seeking permission to build from both the Zoning and Planning Boards.