Gerritsen Beachers are thinking inside the box.
Metro Storage, a self-storage facility with more than 100,000 square feet, is set to go up in Sheepshead Bay across the creek from the waterfront neighborhood.
When the plans for the facility were first mooted last year, some Gerritsen Beach residents objected, saying the building would be an eyesore across the Plumb Beach channel from their homes. But the president of the Gerritsen Beach Property Owners Association now says the community has come to realize that a self-storage business would a less-disruptive use of the vacant land than other potential developments that could pollute the waterway or bring a surge of additional cars to the area.
“We are looking for the self-storage because it has a passive impact on the creek, on the environment,” said George Broadhead, “Traffic is a factor here. Parking is a factor.”
The Knapp street lot set to host Metro Storage has been vacant since the 1980s, mostly because the lot’s zoning limited possible use to large retail establishments and maritime facilities.
But Broadhead said those options were unrealistic.
“It is not going to be a marina,” he said. “Nobody’s going to pay that money for it to be a marina.”
Community Board 15 voted in 2013 to recommend that the city loosen the stringent regulations in the hope of spurring development of the vacant parcel.
There is already a storage business on Knapp Street, but Broadhead said that facility is always full, showing the need for more space.
Last year, Gerritsen Beach resident David Stevens objected to the plan to build an additional storage facility across the channel, saying it would ruin the neighborhood’s waterfront view.
Stevens said he is still trying to stop its construction, arguing that even if the community needs another storage center, it should be built somewhere other than the waterfront — land which he said should be used for a marina or a park.
“Even if the community could use a storage facility, it doesn’t need to be on waterfront property,” Stevens said. “Waterfront property should be used for something that requires waterfront property.”
He said the area would be an ideal spot for athletic fields for the kids.
“Three little baseball fields, a couple of lacrosse fields, soccer fields, football fields,” said Stevens. “They could set it up differently and have all that.”
But Broadhead insists that most Gerritsen Beach residents are on board, especially since the area is classified as a Zone A Special Flood Hazard Area, and the facility will help locals prepare for the next superstorm.
“If they hear in advance now, they have a place where they can store some of their valuables,” he said.
Metro Storage president Martin Gallagher declined to comment for this article because the deal has not yet been finalized, but he indicated that could happen in the next few weeks. There is currently no timeline for when construction would begin or the facility will open.
