Nashua, New Hampshire
Industrial Redevelopment & New Self-Storage Development
476 Amherst Street
The Opportunity
476 Amherst Street presented a rare opportunity to combine redevelopment of an existing industrial property with a major new self-storage expansion on the same site.
The property included a 19,517-square-foot former machine shop built in 1959 and previously occupied by Fab-Braze. After U-Haul acquired the site in 2019, the plan was to renovate the existing building for operations while developing a new climate-controlled self-storage building behind it.
The project offered both an immediate path to reuse the existing structure and a longer-term opportunity to substantially increase storage capacity through new construction.
From Machine Shop to Operating Facility
The first phase focused on the existing 19,517-square-foot building. Rather than wait for the larger rear expansion, we renovated the former Fab-Braze machine shop into an operating U-Haul facility with storage, customer service and retail operations.
The renovation required significant interior and exterior work, including opening up the old industrial space, building new storage areas, creating a modern showroom and customer entrance, and adapting the site for day-to-day operations.
That first phase opened in 2020 with 110 climate-controlled storage rooms, indoor loading and unloading, moving supplies, truck and trailer rentals, U-Box services and hitch installation — allowing the property to begin operating while the larger rear-building development continued.
Expanding the Site
The second phase took the Nashua project beyond adaptive reuse. Behind the renovated front building, the plan called for a new two-story climate-controlled self-storage building that would dramatically expand the property’s capacity.
The original development plan called for approximately 76,000 square feet of new construction and more than 750 indoor climate-controlled storage rooms across the completed site. By late 2020, the first 110 rooms were already open, with roughly 600 additional rooms planned in the second phase.
I remained directly involved through the approvals, planning and construction of that expansion, with the new rear building roughly 90% complete before responsibility for the property transitioned to U-Haul Company of New Hampshire.
19,517 SQ. FT.
Existing industrial building renovated
1959
Original Fab-Braze building
76,000 SQ. FT.
Planned new rear storage building
2019
Property acquired and redevelopment began
The New Storage Building
The new rear building was the largest piece of the Nashua redevelopment, adding a purpose-built climate-controlled self-storage facility behind the renovated original operation.
By the time responsibility for the property transitioned to U-Haul Company of New Hampshire, construction of the new building was roughly 90% complete. The project had moved from acquisition and approvals through renovation, operating launch and nearly all of the major new construction.
Today, the completed site operates as U-Haul Moving & Storage of North Nashua, combining the renovated former Fab-Braze building with the expanded self-storage operation envisioned when the property was acquired.
Project Handoff
As the new rear building approached completion, responsibility for the Nashua property transitioned to U-Haul Company of New Hampshire. By that point, the original building had been renovated and opened, approvals and planning were complete, and the major new self-storage expansion was roughly 90% finished.
The handoff marked the final stage of a project I had carried from acquisition through redevelopment, operating launch and nearly all of the new construction.
My Role
Acquisition, Approvals & Planning
I led the Nashua project from the acquisition of 476 Amherst Street through the municipal approvals and planning needed to reposition the property. The opportunity was more than simply converting an existing building — the plan combined reuse of the former Fab-Braze facility with a substantial new self-storage development behind it.
That meant working through the purchase, site planning, approvals and development strategy while determining how to open the existing building and begin operating before the larger expansion was complete.
Opening the First Phase & Building the Expansion
I oversaw the renovation of the existing building and the launch of the first operating phase, including the showroom, customer areas and initial climate-controlled storage rooms. The front building opened and began serving customers while development of the new rear storage building continued.
My involvement continued through construction of the rear building, which was roughly 90% complete when responsibility for the property transitioned to U-Haul Company of New Hampshire. From acquisition through approvals, renovation, operational launch and nearly all of the new construction, Nashua was a project I was directly involved in from acquisition through near completion.
The Result
What I am most proud of is seeing a former industrial property transformed into a full U-Haul operation while also creating the foundation for a major new self-storage expansion. The original Fab-Braze building was renovated and opened first, allowing the site to begin serving customers while construction continued behind it.
Today, 476 Amherst Street operates as U-Haul Moving & Storage of North Nashua, with indoor climate-controlled storage, moving equipment, U-Box containers, moving supplies and hitch services at the completed property.