A new self-storage facility is moving forward at 117 N. Long Beach Road in Rockville Centre, with construction expected to be completed by spring 2027.
The project is being developed by Basis Industrial, a Florida-based real estate firm that specializes in self-storage and multi-tenant industrial properties. Basis Industrial serves as the development manager and partial owner of the site.
The building itself is owned by WMG Rockville Owner LLC, one of the individual property-holding entities Basis creates for each facility it purchases.
Basis Industrial has secured a $27 million construction loan to undertake the redevelopment, which will transform the existing 52,811-square-foot structure into a modern self-storage facility. Unlike earlier proposals, the new plan does not involve raising the height of the building or demolishing its foundation.
“We’re not demolishing,” Basis Industrial Chief Operating Officer Anthony Scavo said. “We’re actually reusing most of the structure and the foundation.”
He said contractors began interior environmental remediation earlier this month before heavier construction begins.
WMG Rockville Owner LLC acquired the property for $5.5 million in April 2022. At that time, the company proposed converting the site into a larger storage facility, including raising the building’s height from 18 to 30 feet. That plan required multiple zoning variances, including permission to increase height and reduce the number of required parking spaces from 91 to three.
The Rockville Centre Zoning Board rejected those variances in a 3–2 vote after residents opposed the proposal at a public hearing. Scavo said that setback sent the developers back for revisions.
“When part of the board didn’t like it, we took their advice,” Scavo said. “We coordinated with them directly, and we said, ‘What would you guys approve?’ And this is what we came out with.”
Village of Rockville Centre spokesperson Julie Grilli said the project that ultimately received approval matches the current building’s height and footprint and does not involve a change of use.
“Once completed, the facility’s operating hours will be from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.,” Grilli said in a statement. “The Village remains committed to ensuring full compliance with all required procedures and the proper review of all necessary approvals.”
The site has a long history of unrealized redevelopment attempts. In 2017, Maryland-based Shelter Group proposed a senior assisted-living facility at the location, but that plan also failed due to zoning restrictions.
With approvals secured, Scavo said Basis Industrial is now proceeding “full force” with construction, and the general contractor, Zenith, has begun early work inside the building. The redesigned exterior will be fully updated as part of the project.
