Windsor one of the top cities in Ontario for selfstorage space
Windsor is one of the top sites in Ontario when it comes to commercial self-storage space.
According to Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) data, Windsor has 580,320 square feet of commercial self-storage space, the tenth most in the province.
Greg Martino, MPAC Vice-President and Chief Valuation and Standards Officer, says Windsor has 580,320 square feet of commercial self-storage space, but only approximately 20,000 square feet has been built since 2014 in Windsor proper.
"Half of the Windsor inventory was built between 1997 and 2008. So there isn't as much of an increase or demand that's seen in other areas but it's still a significant space in relation to what we're seeing across the province," he says.
In all, MPAC reports that Ontario has 37.3 million square feet of commercial self-storage space or the equivalent of the total ice surface of approximately 2,200 NHL rinks.
Martino says the demand for self-storage space across the province is the result of several factors including an increase in smaller dwellings providing less space to store personal possessions.
"Other factors that we think are contributing to the self-storage increase including more people working from home, looking to store items accumulated in living spaces, some are down sizing or some are looking to store personal belongings as their properties are undergoing renovations," he says.
Martino says if you look at what's happening in the GTA, the trend is around an increase in residential development driving a need for additional storage.
"What we've seen in Windsor is that many of the facilities in this area offer space to store boats, RV's and trailers. Which given Windsor's close proximity to waterways, parks and campgrounds, both in Ontario and across the border, it makes sense that this type of real estate serves as an amenity to the recreational enthusiast within this part of the province," he adds.
In Toronto, Ottawa and Mississauga, Ontario's most densely populated cities with the largest concentration of condos, the growth in self-storage has been especially pronounced, according to MPAC.
Toronto now has more than eight million sq. ft. of commercial self-storage space, followed by Ottawa with three million sq. ft. and Mississauga with two million sq. ft.
According to Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) data, Ontario has 37.3 million square feet of commercial self-storage space. The chart above lists the top ten cities with the most storage space in the province. (Image courtesy of the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation)