There’s going to be a lot more space to store stuff in Warwick given the appearance of the giant self-storage facility going up at Jefferson Place near the northern end of Jefferson Boulevard.

Under construction on a 1.28-acre parking lot, the four-story, 120,000-square-foot building gained preliminary plan approval from the city Planning Board on May 10, 2023. The Zoning Board had previously granted the project dimensional variances for fewer- than-required parking spaces and less than required landscaping and side yard setbacks.

 In its decision, the Planning Board found that the development was consistent is with the vision for the 21^st-century Warwick, “which encourages preserving industrially zoned land for non-retail uses and a commitment to land use that promotes a strong, stable tax base.”

Trunk Space LLC of Quincy, Massachusetts, is listed as the owner of the property. Jumbo Capital Management LLC, which is listed under the same address and with the same phone number as Trunk Space, did not respond to inquiries about the number of storage units in the facility, expected opening, planned hours of operation and rental costs. The facility is within a couple of blocks of Interstate 95 on- and off-ramps.

Information gleaned from city documents reveals that the completed building will actually reduce the square footage of impervious surface of the parking lot from 44,477 to 36,600 square feet.  The development will result in the elimination of two curb cuts that was seen as a benefit to traffic flow.

Among conditions in the preliminary plan approval are that the site includes areas adequate for snow storage and/or develops a practical method of removal and disposal of snow, that the project tie into Warwick sewers and that an adequate number of fire hydrants be provided throughout the development, spaced 300 feet apart and providing a minimum of 1,000 gallons per minute. Planners also required a photometric site plan and specifications for all exterior lighting, and that site lighting be Dark Sky compliant to the extent practicable.

Additionally, it is required that “all exterior lighting and signage shall be designed to minimize negative impacts on neighboring properties. Glare from outdoor lights, signs, and from the movement of vehicles on site shall be shielded from the view of adjacent properties.”