Rankin Residents Win Self Storage Fight

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Rankin Residents Win Self Storage Fight

Residents in Rankin have been embroiled in a bitter battle to restrict the development of a new self storage facility. They finally had some success when officials in the town voted to block the creation of a new self storage facility in the area. The proposed location of the self storage facility was the Reservoir area. Over 700 residents were involved in petitioning against the approval.

The five-acre piece of land is owned by Joe and Rita Parker. The land was zoned with the intention for commercial use but still required permission for the type of facility that could be placed there. Joe Parker was particularly disappointed by the decision since he had spent a significant amount of time with homeowners trying to come to an amicable agreement.

"We bent over backwards to do something great, to get a buffer for Regatta and I don't know anything else we can do," Parker told the Clarion Ledger.

Residents of Rankin who supported the project stated that the facility needed an area that could be dedicated to boat storage and other large water equipment since this would generate significant revenue for the county. However, opponents worried that the introduction of a self storage facility into the area would negatively affect property value and deter other businesses from wanted to set up shop there.

"If we believed this construction would be detrimental to our property values we'd certainly be up here objecting," Regatta Drive homeowner Barbara Holder said in the Clarion Ledger.

President of the Federation of Reservoir Homeowners made a sig at Parker in his opening remarks by saying the group that supported the self storage facility’s development was the “best money could buy”.

There is no word yet on whether or not this decision can be appealed or if the supporting group plans to do so. The land was zoned as C-2 commercials, which means shopping centers, veterinary clinics and pet shops, along with conditional uses such as vehicle sales, plant nurseries, convenience stores and condominiums are allowed to develop in the area.

Jodi Reid

About Jodi Ann Reid

Jodi is a writer for the Self Storage Blog. She enjoys traveling, working out, eating healthy and having fun.