Rockford, Illinois Nixes Self-Storage Restriction Proposal

A proposal aimed at limiting the development of new self-storage facilities to industrial zones was voted down on June 9 by a Rockford City, Illinois Council committee.

As traditional demand for office and retail space has declined, the question of where self-storage businesses should be allowed has sparked growing debate. Some city leaders argue that completely excluding self-storage from commercial zones could hinder Rockford’s flexibility in revitalizing key corridors.

“I feel like this is going to hurt corridors that are ultimately going to need economic revitalization,” said Ald. Gabrielle Torina, D-5. “I think it removes our ability to approve things on a case-by-case basis.”

The vote follows a contentious zoning battle last year, when the City Council denied a special use permit for a proposed project at East State Street and Mulford Road. That plan would have converted a shuttered K-Mart on 15 acres into a self-storage facility with added green space, a park, and retail components.

More recently, however, the council approved a special use permit for a self-storage facility along the 5900 block of Columbia Parkway—an area that blends residential, commercial, and industrial uses. The decision came despite pushback from some neighbors and Ald. Mark Bonne, D-14.

How Zoning Works for Self-Storage in Rockford

Under current zoning rules, self-storage is allowed outright in industrial zones. In general commercial and heavy commercial areas (designated C-3 and C-4), it can be approved via special use permits. However, it is prohibited in office and light commercial zones (C-1 and C-2). The city removed the option for special use permits in C-2 zones last year to help prevent an over-concentration of storage facilities. C-1 has never permitted self-storage use.

Had the newly proposed measure passed, developers would have faced narrower paths for approval. Their main options would have been to build in industrial zones, pursue a planned unit development, or seek rezoning to industrial, according to City Administrator Todd Cagnoni.

“We have seen other municipalities pull back on the permissibility of residential storage warehouses in various zoning districts to control it,” Cagnoni said. “This has been a nationwide trend where we have seen residential storage warehouses going into locations that are more retail in nature rather than industrial.”