Residents oppose U-Haul storage unit development in Collier County

Reporter: Asha Patel Writer: Bryanna Sterzenbach
Published: Updated:

A lush line of trees in Collier County may turn into storage units, and neighbors are unhappy.

Why? Because there are more storage units right next door.

This is happening on Myrtle Lane in Collier County.

WINK News reporter Asha Patel was there to hear from residents.

They have written emails to the county and commissioners and will attend the meeting on Nov. 21 to voice their concerns about why a large U-Haul facility should not be built in this area.

Storage units are everywhere throughout Collier County, and neighbors living on Myrtle Ln. don’t want one in their neck of the woods.

“It does not suit this area, as I said; we don’t have the infrastructure here for that heavy-use traffic,” said Claudia Fuller of Collier County.

According to the Collier County Planning Commission meeting agenda, the property owner requests to rezone their four parcels, totaling 8.24 acres, located from Myrtle Woods to Myrtle Lane.

“The size and scope of the facility they want to build, they want to change the zoning from light commercial to heavy commercial,” said Fuller.

All to allow a 200-thousand-square-foot U-Haul facility to be built. The space would include indoor self-storage, automotive leasing and rental, and outdoor equipment leasing and rental.

Plus, a maximum of 3,000 square feet for other commercial uses.

This is making some neighbors furious, “Kinda disgusted us a quiet neighborhood our children grandchildren and pets everyone is always walking it made us very very uncomfortable,” said resident Kathy Smith.

We spoke with several people living on Myrtle Ln. Tuesday afternoon. They said the traffic there is already a hassle, and they believe this U-Haull business would make it worse.

“That doesn’t make sense at all, for what they wanna build here, it needs to be an industrial park,” Smith said.

Collier County said that property owners can apply to rezone their land for a particular use, and the application is then reviewed by the planning commission.

Neighbors living there said they plan on attending that public meeting Thursday.

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