Bon Air . . . Future Setting for Storage Wars Kentucky

There is really no quasi-tasteful sarcastic remark that can be made here, self-storage facilities are increasing in density in an approximately four mile radius in and around the Bon Air Neighborhood.

The one that sticks out the most is the self storage in the old Bardstown Centre office building. I cannot miss it when I get my Starbucks or my Mexican Food fix at El Caporal. 

The latest is the one on the old Rose Bowl site off Goldsmith Lane.

We have been made aware of its coming for about two years.  

When you go down Old Bardstown Road you see the two Public Storage units. One of them used to be the "502 Storage" facility.   

Go further down back on the Buechel Bypass/Bardstown Road between Fegenbush Lane and Watterson Trail and what are the new construction projects?  That's right two more self-storage facilities.  

R. Christian Sonne (Sonne, R (2013) Self Storage Economics The Appraisal Journal.)  noted that the number of storage facilities in the United States have more than doubled  from 23,972 facilities in 1992 to 50,048 in 2011.  It is also a relatively stable real estate sector and demand has grown with supply as Sonne said, "Even while supply doubled, national occupancy ranged from 82.9% to 89.4%, with an average of 86.72%."   It appears to be a stable type of investment that Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and other investors can depend on. 

Despite its dependability as a stable investment, not all neighborhoods want them.  In a simple Google search there are various neighborhood groups throughout the US who do not want these facilities as a foreseen drain on property values and a detriment to aesthetics. 

In a grand sense, while I would have preferred the bowling alley to be restored, or an office building to be built, or Sullivan University to have purchased that land and expanded its programs on that site,  economics are economics, and it just does not seem to fit anyone's current program plan, or agenda.  

Within its capability, the local government and chamber of commerce generally have a plan to create an economic engine with the infrastructure, existing institutions, and other amenities that makes land attractive for the desired development.  Often it compounds or builds on what is there.   The University of Louisville has been an instrument of economic development.  

For instance, in James Ramsey's day, U of L (especially the Medical School) was supposed to be an economic driver through the Nucleus Innovation Center in which they were going to grow the medical sector in Louisville (go figure that the Nucleus website has not been updated since 2017).   

Earlier in the 1940's and 1950's U of L was used start the Louisville Medical Center. Jewish Hospital was coaxed downtown to be a teaching hospital for the Med School.  At its zenith in the late 1980's the Med Center had six hospitals. 

Anyway, in today's situation, the bowling alley site has been a reputed site of a homeless camp and a new GoStoreIt site is a secure improvement.and should encourage those parties to return to the available services downtown.  I just hope that the other land speculator who wanted to put a lower cost chain hotel across from where the storage facility is being built continues to be discouraged from building. 

This is where I plug in that the Bon Air Neighborhood Association seeks to guide development in the neighborhood. .We want to have development plan that improves the liability of the neighborhood. Our art development strategy aims to beautify and makes the neighborhood a destination in addition to enhancing the art economy in Louisville.

But maybe if the producers of Storage Wars are looking for new places to shoot episodes, Bon Air could be a great location.