Adaptive Reuse of Athens Plaza: U-Haul to Offer Self-Storage to UGA Students

ATHENS, Ga. (July 18, 2018) — U-Haul® will soon be showcasing a modern moving and self-storage facility two miles from the University of Georgia thanks to the recent acquisition of the Athens Plaza at 494 North Ave.

U-Haul acquired the 134,661-square-foot building on May 17. U-Haul Moving & Storage of North Downtown Athens has opened a temporary showroom and is currently offering truck and trailer sharing, towing equipment, moving supplies, and U-Box® portable moving and storage containers for students and local residents.

Adaptive reuse of the existing property will render indoor self-storage units, including climate-controlled rooms with high-tech security features at affordable price points. Propane and professional hitch installation will also be offered in the near future on the 13.27-acre lot.

“Many of the buildings in this part of town were left to become eyesores,” stated Rod Tape, U-Haul Company of Georgia Northeast president. “We’re eager to be part of the revitalization of this neighborhood. We want to give the city a facility it will be proud of and serve the residents here for years to come.”

Contact U-Haul Moving & Storage of North Downtown Athens at (706) 521-0292 or stop by to visit general manager Mandy Jones and her team. Hours of operation are 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. Reserve equipment at uhaul.com or contact Reservations at 1-800-GO-UHAUL.

U-Haul will look to hire locally to promote job growth within the Athens community. Tape expects to maintain a staff of 10 or more Team Members when the facility is fully operational. U-Haul always encourages local contractors to bid on renovation work.

The recent acquisition of the Athens Plaza property was driven by U-Haul Company's Corporate Sustainability initiatives: U-Haul supports infill developments to help local communities lower their carbon footprint. Our 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.

By repurposing the building, U-Haul prevented the use of 1,230 tons of metal manufacturing and transportation (the amount of steel used to make 1,240 passenger cars); avoided 8,467 tons of new concrete pours (enough to create 171 miles of concrete blocks); kept 9,865 tons of building and demolition debris out of landfills (avoiding 379 dump trucks traveling 7,968 miles); and stopped 8,350,206 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions from entering the atmosphere (the carbon emissions of 641 large SUVs or pickup trucks for one year).

“We’re still in the planning phases with this project and are working closely with city officials and our neighbors,” Tape said. “We’re working with the University of Georgia to deploy smart technologies. Advancements in mobility are important to us. Athens is a booming college town and we are excited to bring our revolutionary U-Haul Truck Share 24/7 program here.”

The arrival of U-Haul Truck Share 24/7 is revolutionizing the moving industry through its more convenient, more secure way to pick up and return a truck. U-Haul live verification technology allows rental transactions to be carried out entirely on a smartphone at any hour – day or night. There are no membership fees. Simply visit uhaul.com to create an online account.

For self-movers who aim to keep their costs low but need extra hands to help with their move, MovingHelp.com has been successfully pairing customers with reliable Moving Help® Service Providers for more than a decade. The online marketplace lets customers shop and compare local moving companies that provide labor services including: loading and unloading, packing and unpacking, cleaning, and U-Box pick up/delivery. More than 1.5 million unedited customer reviews, transparent pricing and payment release subject to customer approval have led to 93 percent of Moving Help users rating their experience four stars or higher.

About U-Haul

Since 1945, U-Haul has been the No. 1 choice of do-it-yourself movers, with a network of more than 21,000 locations across all 50 states and 10 Canadian provinces. U-Haul Truck Share 24/7 now offers customers access to U-Haul trucks every hour of every day through the self-service options on their internet-connected mobile devices. U-Haul customers’ patronage has enabled the U-Haul fleet to grow to more than 150,000 trucks, 112,000 trailers and 40,000 towing devices. U-Haul offers more than 581,000 rooms and more than 51 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