U-Haul Wins Approval For Bristol Twp. Expansion Project

U-Haul is set to expand its operations at the former Bristol Plaza shopping center after an approval from Bristol Township Council last week.

The council granted preliminary and final land development approval to AMERCO Real Estate Company, the real estate arm of the Arizona-based moving giant, for the project that has been in development for several years.

“This is something we’ve been working on since 2021,” a U-Haul representative said during the presentation.

The approved plan features the construction of an 18,000-square-foot warehouse and the relocation of an existing 1,000-square-foot storage building.

The project, which is entirely within the parking lot of the Durham Road shopping center, is designed to expand U-Haul’s regional storage capabilities and complement its existing corporate operations at the location.

In its bid to get approval, U-Haul scaled back some elements of its original proposal. The company removed a previously planned canopy and eliminated a “phase two” expansion that would have added a 5,000-square-foot building.

Council President Craig Bowen said the revised project is an improvement.

A portion of the project presentation focused on “greening up” the property, which sits at the intersection of Durham Road, Bath Road, and Veterans Highway (Route 413).

A company representatives said U-Haul plans to install interior landscaping and a row of arborvitae trees to screen “back of house” operations and storage areas from motorists on Durham Road.

“We’re going to be greening it up,” the representative explained. “We’re going to also be doing some interior landscaping at the site so that some kind of back of house operations are not going to be visible.”

At the request of township officials, U-Haul also agreed to limit the number of branded vehicles parked along the Durham Road frontage.

While the original plans included 11 parking spaces for trucks, the final plan reduces that number to six. The remaining vehicles will serve as advertising for the company.

The project will reconfigure existing parking areas to accommodate the warehouse, and existing curb cuts will remain unchanged.

The development previously received variance approvals from the Bristol Township Zoning Hearing Board in June and a recommendation for approval from the township’s planning commission.

U-Haul purchased the 31-acre Bristol Plaza property in 2016 and moved its corporate printing operation to the site in 2017.

The shopping center has fewer and fewer non-U-Haul tenants and began losing shops after the Pathmark closed in 2010.

The shopping center will welcome Iffy’s Hot Chicken at the former KFC spot soon.

In other business, the council approved a 12,500-square-foot addition to a building at 2924 Veterans Highway, which will include stormwater improvements. The additional will be used for storage of quartz and granite.