After being postponed for several months, plans for a public storage facility inside the former Target store in Chatham are moving forward.
On Monday, municipal councillors voted in favour to rezone the property to allow for public storage to fill most of the vacant space remaining inside the building.
There are two units inside the building that have become occupied by grocery store Mercato Fresh and fitness club Planet Fitness. However, a large portion of the former store has sat vacant since March 2015.
"The commercial retail sector has also been experiencing a shift in demand due to the prominence of online retailers whereby vacant commercial space is becoming less desirable in general," the report read. "The proposal to add public storage as an additional permitted use on the subject property is a response to the shift in the retail market sector."
The public storage facility will use up to 35,000 sq. ft. of the vacant space.
"Although a public storage use is not specifically listed as a commercial use intended for the shopping centre commercial area, it is a use that will serve the needs of residents of Chatham-Kent and would not detract from the viability of commercial uses in the area," the report read.
The date when the public storage facility will open is unknown at this time.
