Former Illinois Kmart to Become Self Storage

U-Haul storage facility. Image courtesy of U-Haul

U-Haul is planning to convert a former 95,520-square-foot Kmart store into a self storage facility in Morton, Ill. Currently operated by U-Haul Moving & Storage of Morton, the facility provides truck and trailer sharing, boxes and moving supplies, with towing equipment and professional hitch installation, as well as bike racks, to be available soon.

The adaptive reuse project is slated for delivery by the end of this year. Upon completion, the new facility will comprise 750 climate-controlled, ADA-accessible units with high-tech security features, extended hours access and a covered load and unload area.

Located at 1075 W. Jackson St., the former Kmart store is 1 mile from downtown Morton, close to Peoria, Ill., just south of Interstate 74.

Part of an adaptive reuse strategy

The facility will be U-Haul’s first owned and operated storage asset in Morton. The firm has three more stores in the area, in Peoria and Pekin.

U-Haul’s portfolio currently holds 855,000 rentable storage units totaling 73.6 million square feet across the U.S. Almost 70 percent of the company’s facilities are the result of adaptive reuse, Vice President Aaron Freeman mentioned in prepared remarks.

The firm’s other repurposing projects include the conversion of a Kmart store in Rock Springs, Wyo., into a 700-unit storage facility. The company also recently picked up a former 81,864-square-foot Maiers Transport & Warehousing property in St. Cloud, Minn., planning to convert it into a 650-unit storage asset.