Discount Self Storage Sues Colorado County

Discount Self Storage, located in Gunnison County, Colorado, has been looking to expand the gravel parking lot at its Highway 135 location to add more spaces for locals and seasonal visitors to stow their vehicles, RVs, boats, and outdoor gear. Since applying for the expansion in the summer of 2023, the facility has continued to be denied.

According to county officials, the project would require “setbacks” – physical space between building projects that ensures owners have room for natural light, ventilation, sound buffers, and emergency access. However, the owners of Discount Self Storage claim that if they were required to use setbacks there would not be enough room left to make the expansion pencil financially. And in 2018, the county approved Discount’s first three-acre gravel parking lot without setbacks. 

In March 2024, Discount – which operates under Centennial Storage Partners LLC, and is owned by Ken Snyder and business partners John Succo and Larry McGraw – sued the county to secure another level of review by the court. To avoid litigation, the county is working with the owners on a variance process, which could allow them to build without setbacks. 

“The county planning staff changed the rules without explanation, leading to a fatally flawed interpretation of the county’s land use resolution (LUR),” said Discount’s lawyer James Silvestro. 

“The 2018 application should have considered setbacks,” said Assistant County Manager for Community and Economic Development Cathie Pagano. “This was a mistake on behalf of the department.”

Discount Self Storage has three locations in the Gunnison Valley, and is one of several storage companies that offer long-term parking spots in the area, all of which have a waitlist. At Discount, some renters continue paying for a spot even while their campers or RV are being used because they’re scared the spot will be lost, said property manager Kris Travis. 

“They’ve run out of room,” Silvestro said. “The public need is greater than what they can fulfill at this point.”

To meet the community’s needs, the owners are trying to expand the lot to add 125 parking spaces. Planning staff advised the owners that if they apply for a variance, the department would likely support the project.