U-Haul Reuse of Former Kmart will Bring Benefits to Latrobe

LATROBE, Pa. (June 30, 2020) — U-Haul® is unveiling the sustainability impact its adaptive reuse project will have at the closed Kmart® store at 1072 Mountain Laurel Plaza in Latrobe.

The building, erected in 1995, was vacated in 2018 and has remained empty. U-Haul acquired the 90,243-square-foot space on April 8.

Adaptive reuse plans call for the creation of 700 indoor self-storage units, giving customers access to a variety of climate-controlled rooms with high-tech security features at affordable price points. Self-storage customers will have extended hours access.

“U-Haul has been repurposing vacated buildings for decades, and we are excited to bring our sustainability model to Latrobe,” stated Ean Livingood, U-Haul Company of Northwestern PA president. “We will continue to work with city officials to develop a site plan that’s best for everyone. We’re investing in this community, and we invite other businesses to follow our lead.”

U-Haul Moving & Storage of Latrobe will also offer essential moving services like truck and trailer sharing, moving supplies, towing equipment, U-Box® portable storage containers and more. Professional hitch installation and propane will eventually be available on the 7.78-acre property.

By repurposing the former Kmart building, U-Haul prevented the use of 127 tons of metal manufacturing and transportation (the amount of steel used to make 128 passenger cars); avoided 5,235 tons of new concrete pours (enough to create 106 miles of concrete blocks); kept 5,474 tons of building and demolition debris out of landfills (avoiding 211 dump trucks traveling 4,421 miles); and stopped 2,626,086 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions from entering the atmosphere (the carbon emissions of 201 large SUVs or pickup trucks for one year).

Acquisition of the property was driven by U-Haul Corporate Sustainability initiatives: U-Haul supports infill developments to help local communities lower their carbon footprint. The adaptive reuse of existing buildings reduces the amount of energy and resources required for new-building materials and helps cities reduce their unwanted inventory of unused buildings.

Livingood expects to employ at least 12 Team Members when the store is fully operational. U-Haul will look to hire local to promote job growth within Latrobe. Find U-Haul career opportunities at jobs.uhaul.com.

While U-Haul Moving & Storage of Latrobe is under construction, nearby U-Haul facilities and neighborhood dealers are available to serve customers. U-Haul Moving & Storage of Greensburg at 5218 State Route 30 is open 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Thursday and Saturday; 7 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday; and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday.

As an essential service provider, U-Haul has remained open throughout the COVID-19 outbreak while offering contactless programs and enhanced cleaning protocols, including added steps for sanitizing equipment between customer transactions. U-Haul products are used daily by First Responders; delivery companies bringing needed supplies to people’s homes; small businesses trying to remain afloat; college students; and countless other dependent groups – in addition to the household mover.

Please visit uhaul.com/announcement for more information on how U-Haul is keeping its Team Members and customers safe during the summer moving season.

About U-Haul

Since 1945, U-Haul has been the No. 1 choice of do-it-yourself movers, with a network of 22,000 locations across all 50 states and 10 Canadian provinces. U-Haul Truck Share 24/7 offers secure access to U-Haul trucks every hour of every day through the customer dispatch option on their smartphones and our proprietary Live Verify technology. Our customers' patronage has enabled the U-Haul fleet to grow to approximately 167,000 trucks, 120,000 trailers and 43,000 towing devices. U-Haul offers nearly 697,000 rooms and 60.7 million square feet of self-storage space at owned and managed facilities throughout North America. U-Haul is the largest installer of permanent trailer hitches in the automotive aftermarket industry, and is the largest retailer of propane in the U.S.

Contact:

Andrea Batchelor

Jeff Lockridge

E-mail: publicrelations@uhaul.com

Phone: 602-263-6981

Website: uhaul.com