Update 10/7/25 – After months of deliberation, the Rockford, Illinois, City Council voted 8-6 on Monday to restrict self-storage development to industrial zones. This type of project will no longer be permitted in the city’s Commercial-3 and Commercial-4 zoning districts.
Source: WIFR, Rockford Leaders Restrict Where Self-Storage Can Be Built
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8/26/25 - The Rockford, Illinois, City Council delayed a vote Monday on proposed restrictions that would ban self-storage facilities in select commercial districts after committee members requested more time for review. Ald. Tamir Bell requested a 30-day delay, citing communication concerns, according to a source.
“Our chairman, who proposed this text amendment, had not had communication with any of our committee,” Bell said.
Councilperson Mark Bonne later countered that the meeting agenda served as sufficient notice.
Related:Atlanta Considers Expansion of Self-Storage Development Ban Along the City’s Beltline Overlay District
Bell said committee members want to determine if the community is saturated with storage facilities and seek additional input from developers before making a decision.
“We don’t believe that restricting it is necessarily the way to go right now, but if we can get our questions answered, maybe we will move in that direction,” Bell said.
The zoning board of appeals had recommended on Aug. 19 that council members approve prohibiting self-storage in two commercial zones while allowing them in industrial areas without special permits.
Source: BusinessWire, Ki Corporation and Public Storage Withdraw Offer to Acquire Abacus Storage King
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Update 7/08/25 – After recently rejecting a measure that would limit self-storage development in the city’s commercial areas,the Rockford, Illinois, City Council voted on Monday to reverse its stance. Self-storage projects will now only be allowed in industrial zones, according to a source. There will be no need for a special-use permit.
The council reversed a previous recommendation from the city’s code and regulation committee that would maintain current zoning laws by allowing self-storage in commercial districts with special permits. Councilperson Mark Bonne led the effort, arguing that facilities near neighborhoods create aesthetic concerns for residents. Local leaders also suggested that other businesses could provide more tax revenue than self-storage, the source stated.
Source: WIFR, Rockford City Council Moves Toward Restricting Self-Storage Warehouses
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Related:Fishkill, NY, Self-Storage Developer Sues Over Project Denial
Posted 6/12/25 - The Rockford, Illinois, City Council rejected a measure on Monday that would restrict self-storage development to industrial zones and make it more difficult to build facilities in commercial areas. The argument for the change was centered around the need for economic revitalization in commercial areas while managing the growth of self-storage businesses, according to a source.
The issue has intensified as demand for retail and office space has cooled across the city. Last year, the city council denied a special-use permit to convert a former Kmart to self-storage. However, last week, they granted permission to build a facility in an area containing a mix of commercial, industrial and residential development. Self-storage faces restrictions in different zones, so the city can maintain control over their location while balancing the community's various development needs, the source reported.
“We have seen other municipalities pull back on the permissibility of residential storage warehouses in various zoning districts to control it,” said city administrator Todd Cagoni. “This has been a nationwide trend where we have seen residential storage warehouses going into locations that are more retail in nature rather than industrial.”
Related:Judge Upholds Zoning Rejection of Mixed-Use Self-Storage Development in Morristown, NJ
Source: Rockford Register Star, Rockford Committee Rejects New Limits on Self-Storage Facilities
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