It’s been less than a month since the former Walmart building on Glacier Highway was purchased by Amerco Real Estate Co., a subsidiary of U-Haul, and the company shared its plans to unveil a temporary showroom at its new location by the end of January.
Ray Rushing, U-Haul Company of Alaska president, said through a company media contact that the company is currently in the process of cleaning up the building, and once complete, renovations will begin to repurpose the location. If all goes to plan, he said residents can expect its doors to open for a temporary showroom by the end of this month. He did not specify what would be included at the showroom.
“It takes a special type of business to fill such a large space,” he said. “U-Haul is perfect for this property because we can fully utilize the space, and we’ll do it without the environmental impact of a new build.”
The 122,278 square foot building and 10-acre property on Glacier Highway remained vacant for more than five years before the purchase in early December. The building was originally constructed in 1993 and served as a Kmart, however, it closed down after a decade at the location before being purchased by Walmart, which also closed down after a decade in 2016.
According to the city assessor’s office, the total property value —including the building — is just under $11.2 million, however, Rushing said U-Haul will not be disclosing the actual purchase price of the property. In October, voters narrowly OK’d repealing a municipal ordinance that would have required disclosure of the property’s sales price.
Rushing said once the facility is at full operations, the company is looking to hire locally and hire around 15 people. He said some of the open positions will include general managers, customer service representatives and facility maintenance technicians, along with construction positions during the renovation process.
Some of the services that Rushing said will be offered at the property will include customer access to truck and trailer sharing, boxes and moving supplies, portable storage containers, towing equipment, professional hitch installation, hitch accessories, bike racks and propane among other commodities.
“This new U-Haul facility will enable us to serve a growing Juneau community. We are providing a one-stop shop for the moving and storage needs of our neighbors. This community can have peace of mind knowing that a recognized industry leader is here to stay,” he said.
• Contact reporter Clarise Larson at clarise.larson@juneauempire.com or (651)-528-1807. Follow her on Twitter at @clariselarson.
