Stashing our stuff

Dallas-Fort Worth reigns as self-storage capital of the U.S., says study

There's even more storage on the way.

Dallas-Fort Worth really, really, really loves its stuff. New data from self-storage marketplace StorageCafé shows DFW boasted more self-storage space in 2020 than any other U.S. metro area — even though it’s the fourth largest metro based on population.

StorageCafé tallied more than 65 million square feet of storage space in North Texas in 2020. To put that into perspective, this square footage is equivalent to about 360 typical Walmart supercenters or more than 35,500 typical Michaels arts and crafts stores. That works out to about 8.6 square feet for every man, woman and child in DFW.

In 2020 alone, DFW added about 1.8 million square feet of self-storage space, down from 2.4 million in 2019 and a nation-leading 3.1 million in 2018, according to StorageCafé data released February 15. DFW ranked third, behind New York City and Phoenix, for the amount of new self-storage space completed last year.

Looking at the construction data another way, DFW welcomed 7.3 million square feet of self-storage space over the past three years. That’s equivalent to more than 2,800 newly built homes in DFW.

But wait — more space is on the way.

StorageCafé predicts DFW will add 2.6 million square feet of self-storage space this year, with only New York City expected to add more (4.4 million square feet).

Why are consumers in DFW and elsewhere so enamored with self-storage?

“Demand tends to be driven by death, divorce, downsizing and the like. A cultural aversion to parting with possessions has also helped storage owners thrive,” the Wall Street Journalobserved in 2018.

As for self-storage developers, you can’t blame them for chasing prospective new customers. DFW gained nearly 1.35 million residents from 2010 through 2019, with a surge of almost 1.4 million residents expected from 2020 through 2029.

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Politics News

Dallas narrows down field for new city manager to 4 candidates

Photo by R K on Unsplash

This is an Dallasite's sign to launch that small business they've been dreaming of.

After six months without a city manager, the city of Dallas has narrowed down the field of replacements to four semifinalists including one serving as current interim city manager, plus candidates from Fort Worth, Michigan, and Georgia.

Dallas has been without a city manager since May, when previous city manager T.C. Broadnax left to take a job with the city of Austin. Since that time, Broadnax's former chief of staff Kimberly Bizor Tolbert has served as interim city manager.

The city retained Baker Tilly, a consulting firm, to recruit and compile candidates. (Baker Tilly famously erred in the brochure it created for the position by featuring a photo of the Houston skyline instead of Dallas; they've since replaced it with Dallas.)

A spokesperson for Baker Tilly did not respond to inquiries but according to D Magazine, an email listing the candidates has been sent to the Dallas City Council.

The semifinalists include:

Kimberly Bizor Tolbert, Dallas’ current interim city manager
William Johnson, an assistant city manager in Fort Worth
Mark Washington, the city manager of Grand Rapids, Michigan
Zachary Williams, a county chief operating officer in Georgia

All have more than 25 years' of public administration experience and have worked in similar capacities in their respective cities.

Before working in Fort Worth, Johnson was Baltimore’s transportation director and Atlanta’s deputy chief operating officer and public works commissioner.

Washington worked in Fort Worth and Austin before becoming Grand Rapids’ city manager.

Williams has mostly worked in Georgia at the county level, including serving as county manager in Fulton County and chief operating officer in DeKalb County.

Tolbert began working for the city in 1998, first as the city manager’s assistant and later in the aviation department. Broadnax hired her as his chief of staff in 2017.

Unlike the Mayor and the Dallas City Council, the city manager position in Dallas is not elected but is instead appointed by the city council, and is tasked with executing policies, overseeing the annual budget, and managing staff at city hall.

The council’s Ad Hoc Committee will choose finalists, introduce them to the public, and make an offer in early 2025.

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