U-Haul to Acquire, Repurpose Former Kmart Building in Alton, Illinois

ALTON, ILL. — U-Haul plans to acquire an 84,180-square-foot building formerly occupied by Kmart in Alton, about 25 miles north of St. Louis, in August. U-Haul, which currently leases the property, will transform the space into 700 climate-controlled, self-storage units with truck and trailer sharing and towing equipment onsite. The building, which had previously been vacant for eight months, is located within the Seminary Plaza shopping center. Madison Plaza Associates was the seller. U-Haul’s acquisition of the property was driven by its corporate sustainability initiative. The company says the adaptive reuse of existing buildings reduces the amount of energy and resources required for new-building materials and helps cities reduce their unwanted inventory of unused buildings.