Wright City will petition county gov to restrict storage units

Adam Rollins, Staff Writer
Posted 2/20/23

Wright City leaders are gathering a public petition to ask the Warren County government to change its rules that allow rentable self-storage facilities to be established on nearly any agricultural …

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Wright City will petition county gov to restrict storage units

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Wright City leaders are gathering a public petition to ask the Warren County government to change its rules that allow rentable self-storage facilities to be established on nearly any agricultural property without a public hearing or special permit.

At issue is the significant difference in rules for storage units inside city boundaries compared to unincorporated Warren County. Warrenton and Wright City, for example, are fairly restrictive on where storage facilities can be located and what features such facilities must have. 

But in most parts of unincorporated Warren County, all a property owner needs is basic building permits to establish a storage facility. The county government only requires a special permit and public hearings for storage that is primarily intended for use by commercial businesses. 

That openness has led to the establishment of several storage facilities just outside of the Wright City boundary, including on Highway H, Roelker Road, and soon on Bell Road, said Wright City Mayor Michelle Heiliger.

Wright City leaders say they want to gather support from residents across Warren County to change those rules, and instead require that any storage facility intended for rent or lease go through a public hearing where neighboring property owners can have potential concerns addressed. An online petition drive is currently underway, with more than 360 signatures as of Tuesday.

Heiliger said the desire for change is based on feedback from residents, both inside and outside Wright City, who are worried about storage units near their homes becoming a major eyesore if they aren’t properly cared for. Storage facilities can also be a magnet for crime if proper security isn’t mandated, Heiliger noted. She said people deserve a chance for those concerns to be heard and addressed, but that doesn’t happen when storage facilities are relatively unregulated.

“That doesn’t mean a storage facility can’t go somewhere, it just means giving neighbors an opportunity to have a voice, and being a little bit more careful about what we’re doing. That’s all we’re asking,” Heiliger said. “We’re just asking for a second set of eyes to look at something and say ... maybe we should ask a few more questions.”

To that end, Heiliger said that several Wright City elected officials plan to present their petition to the Warren County planning and zoning board at an upcoming meeting. The board is a group of citizen volunteers who advise the Warren County Commission about matters relating to county zoning and permits.

Any change to the county’s ordinances regarding storage facilities would start with the planning and zoning board, before being presented to the Warren County Commission for a final vote.

Warren County Commissioners Joe Gildehaus and Matt Flake commented that they will review and consider any recommendations that come from the planning and zoning board. The commissioners said they are limiting any other commentary before that happens, because they don’t want to interfere in the planning board’s independent consideration.

Storage, Wright City, Warren County, Planning and Zoning

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