Extra Space Storage at 2121 Lake Road in Whiting — Courtesy: Kokes Properties
By Joshua Burd
Kokes Properties has completed a new 45,000-square-foot self-storage facility in the Whiting section of Manchester Township, the firm announced Tuesday.
Managed by Extra Space Storage, the national operator, the property sits at the intersection of Lake and Lacey roads, having opened to the public on Nov. 9 as part of a project that’s some two years in the making. Brielle-based Kokes says the facility is now primed to meet demand in an underserved market, noting that the nearest competing facility is seven miles away.
“We gained a lot of knowledge and experience from our Winslow storage development a few years ago,” said Michael J. Kokes, president of Kokes Properties, “and we were fortunate to apply some of what we had learned on that project toward executing a more efficient buildout of this one.”
Kokes Properties designed and developed the project in-house with assistance from civil engineering firm FWH Associates and SAA Architects. OceanFirst Bank provided construction financing for the facility, which has a mix of conditioned and unconditioned storage space of varying sizes, as well as exterior parking solutions for RV and boat storage.
The firm also incorporated elements such as vehicle flow, hallway design and lighting and security.
“We knew there was pent-up demand in the market, but no one could have guessed that we would be 23 percent occupied within the first two weeks of operation,” said Clark McIntyre, vice president of operations at Kokes Properties. “Even if activity slows down as we approach the holidays, the breathtaking velocity that we’ve enjoyed so far puts us on track to achieve stabilized occupancy a full year ahead of schedule.”
Kokes added: “It is wonderful to work with the Extra Space team again and to witness their best-in-class operation at another one of our locations. Between the consummate professionalism of their people and the streamlined efficiency of their operation, words cannot express how much we value our partnership with them.”
“We look forward to working with them on this deal and many more to come in the years ahead, and we would like to express our gratitude to all of our vendors who have played a critical role in transforming a paper concept three years ago into a tangible reality today,” Kokes said.
Kokes breaks ground on 45,000 sq. ft. self-storage project in Ocean County
