nown as “The Garden City” for its beautifully maintained parks and trails, St. Catharines in Southern Ontario is the largest city in the Niagara Region. It’s nestled between Lake Ontario to the north and the stunning Niagara Escarpment to the south, with the awe-inspiring Niagara Falls just a short drive away. St. Catharines strikes a balance between urban convenience and small-town charm, making it a wonderful place to live, work, or visit. That’s one of many reasons Alexander “Alex” Shafran, along with his brother and business partner Spencer, both of Deerfield Developments, which acquires, develops, and manages commercial properties across Canada, decided to set up shop there.

“St. Catharines is a great location,” says Shafran. “There’s a growing population, a variety of businesses, thriving residential areas, and a number of universities and colleges. It’s also near the Niagara wineries, and there’s many nice waterways. So, it was a practical place to build, and a beautiful place to be.”

Although Deerfield Development has been in commercial real estate for more than 40 years, this was the company’s first foray into the self-storage space. “Our business has primarily focused on retail, office, and industrial space,” says Shafran. “But like others in commercial real estate, we saw self-storage as a big opportunity, and we’ve bought three more since then. Now, we’re looking to buy or build even more.”

Deerfield purchased the land in 2021, but despite that timeframe, Shafran says the idea to get into self-storage had nothing to do with COVID, when the asset class witnessed incredible growth and many first-time investors and developers waded into the market. “That wasn’t a factor at all,” he says. “We simply saw that many Canadian markets had some major gaps in supply, and we loved the business fundamentals of self-storage. Everything just penciled.”

Shafran further explains that one thing Deerfield does differently from other developers is that it doesn’t just build properties—it creates experiences. “We transform properties, bringing them to life or giving them new life,” says Shafran. “Our properties are meant to blend innovation and sustainability and are designed to become bustling epicenters, becoming iconic in their own right. At the very least, they need to become easily identifiable landmarks, places people will say to make a left or right at when they give directions to someone else. We also knew the Access Storage brand would lend more credibility to the business, so we were happy to have them onboard as our management company.”

Because self-storage was a new endeavor for Deerfield Development at the time, Shafran knew they needed an experienced contractor and a solid structural design team to bring the facility, located at 122 Cushman Road, from conception to completion. Ultimately, they went with D&D Contracting, which specializes in new construction and renovations, and Trachte, one of the largest manufacturers of steel self-storage systems in the industry with nearly 125 years of experience (the company was founded in 1901). “When you’re building from scratch, you want the best,” says Shafran. “Justin Smith with D&D and Cody Hulme with Trachte were both instrumental in getting things done.”

Hulme, regional sales manager for Trachte across Canada and the Dakotas in the United States, says he was excited to be part of the project. “Trachte has been involved in self-storage for about as long as the industry has been around, but we still put our heart into every project.” Hulme says that the first Trachte self-storage project was a small facility in Greenbay, Wis., in 1974, and just two years later the company had entered the Canadian market, building a facility in Alberta in 1976. “I think it’s still there,” he adds.

To make this Access Storage facility a standout in the community, in line with Deerfield’s vision, Hulme says the facility has eye-catching red and white composite panels, reflective of the Canadian flag that now flies high alongside the facility. The colors show Canadian pride and enhance curb appeal.

“All the structure was done in-house at our Sun Prairie, Wis., plant. In fact, we do just about all steel structures there, except roof insulation and sectional doors,” says Hulme. “Sam Esposto Architects did a great job laying out the build, so everything went smoothly. Building this facility was a seamless process.”

Hulme believes that Shafran and Deerfield picked an ideal location. “Honestly, much of Canada is ripe for self-storage; there’s huge industrial growth happening. As long as the economy remains stable, the country is going to continue to be on an upward trajectory.”

“Although Canada is a great growth market, some developers do find it difficult to obtain permitting in Canada,” adds Shafran. However, he says that thanks to Deerfield’s history in commercial properties, it was relatively easy to build. “We’ve had experience developing in 40-plus markets across Canada, so we know how to fast track projects when we need to.”

Once Shafran and company had acquired the vacant land, they were ready to get started, but the vision would require the property be built in two separate stages. “This was an empty plot of land, so we had carte blanche to do what we wanted, within city guidelines,” says Shafran. “But it was important to get one portion done, and lease that up, before beginning the second phase.”

Phase one began in 2021, with 40,000 net rentable square feet constructed. Phase two began in 2024 and is set for completion in mid-2025. This phase will add an additional 60,000 net rentable square feet to the property. Ultimately, the facility will boast a total of 900 units ranging from 5-by-5s to 10-by-30s. There is a healthy mix of drive-up and interior units as well as climate-controlled and non-climate-controlled options. The facility also offers outdoor parking for RVs, boats, cars, and motorcycles.

That’s not all. The facility is home to several expansive loading bays, meticulously designed to facilitate easy loading and unloading of belongings while being sheltered from the sometimes-harsh Canadian climate (the building also features heated foundations to counteract the winter chill, ensuring year-round comfort for tenants and their belongings). Office structures and main buildings are designed with specific pitches and heights to maximize space efficiency and enhance the overall aesthetic appeal.

One other factor that Shafran says set this Access Storage facility apart from the competition is its staff. While some operators are struggling to find good employees, they’ve been able to attract friendly, experienced employees who excel at customer service. “Not only are our employees welcoming, but we offer moving supplies, dollies from transporting belongings, and 24/7 security through PTI Security Systems. It’s all to make our tenants feel valued and safe. We’re also supporters of the community, through Access Storage. We support local events, children’s sports teams, and so on. We’re definitely making a name for ourselves, and I can’t wait to see the finished product.”