The City of Hamilton is undertaking a review of their Self-Storage Facilities Policy in order to integrate the establishments “into more zones and areas of the city.”
Staff were originally directed by Council in February 2019 to undertake a review of where self-storage facilities are located and permitted within the city.
Staff then retained consultants MacNaughton Hermsen Britton Clarkson Planning Limited (MHBC Planning) in April 2023 to write a research paper and best practice review of self-storage facilities in the city.
The report provided several recommendations for updates to the city’s zoning bylaw in relation to self-storage facilities (Hamilton Zoning By-law No. 05-200).
Those recommendations included proposing options for a new or modified definition of “Self-Storage Facility,” permitting self-storage facilities in certain Commercial and Mixed-Use Zones, Downtown Zones, and Transit-Oriented Corridor Zones, and allowing flexibility in the location of self-storage facilities within buildings, including ground floor or street-facing facades.
Currently, self-storage use is included within the definition of a warehouse as a “Mini Storage Facility” and its use is permitted in multiple industrial zones and the Arterial Commercial (C7) Zone in Hamilton Zoning By-law No. 05-200.
After those recommendations were put forward, city staff are now considering those proposals and conducting consultation with the public and stakeholders.
That consultation is expected to be complete soon. Staff will then report back with their findings and draft recommendations, which will then be presented to Council for review and final recommendations for approval.
City staff say that self-storage facilities have traditionally been single-storey linear buildings that often “occupy significant tracts of land and resemble warehouses,” and, as such, have typically been located within industrial or arterial commercial areas.
They say that the self-storage industry has seen a “surge in demand” over the past few years due to increases in “remote work, downsizing, family transitions, apartment living, and small businesses’ needs.”
Staff add that “the evolving nature of self-storage has led to outdated policy and zoning regulations, necessitating zoning amendments to accommodate the changing built form and additional services provided.”
Some self-storage facilities now provide auxiliary services such as parcel reception, document management, boardroom spaces, and retail stores.
The MHBC Report recommends allowing self-storage facilities with restrictions in Transit-Oriented Corridor Zones and Downtown Zones as part of mixed-use developments.
The city says that the new approach could also “facilitate the conversion of underutilized office buildings” within downtown.
Staff also hope that allowing self-storage facilities within other zones will increase accessibility for residents, particularly those living in apartments with limited space.
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