Why does NJ seem to build so many of these? Is it that necessary?

One major drawback to living in New Jersey is the constant development that seems to be going on and on. We're already pressed for open space as it is, so why keep building?

Now yes, some development is necessary, no question there. But some things that are built make you really scratch your head sometimes.

Take for example the endless string of townhomes or McMansions (oversized homes that look like miniature mansions). Not only are they built in massive numbers and take up tons of space, but they're also built very close to one another.

Not only that, but most of them tend to look exactly the same. However, since they always seem to sell overtime perhaps there's a market for it, even though it does seem excessive at times.

But there's another type of facility that honestly seems like overkill in the state. And quite frankly, a massive waste of space.

Now just to be clear, yes, this can be considered a type of big box facility. It's not, however, a retail location or retail strip mall.

Rather, it's a place where you store personal belongings in what can be described as big metal boxes. And yes, many people store regular boxes here as well, thus why they're sometimes referred to as a big-box storage facility.

Have you noticed over the past several years the number of self-storage locations that have sprung up throughout The Garden State? It just seems like the development of these big self-storage facilities is exponential.

So naturally, this begs the question. Do New Jerseyans really have that much crap that we need so many of these external garages? Are we really so overloaded with stuff that we have nowhere else to put anything?

As mentioned above, the development of McMansions around The Garden State is already high. But those aren't small homes by any measure.

Is it possible these self-storage facilities are being built to cater to the people looking to buy these newer home locations? And if so, how much crap do these people have that they can't fit into their new larger homes?

I'm not saying we don't need these self-serve big-box facilities, but do we really need so many where they're practically in competition with one another in a given area? It just doesn't seem practical.

And it's not always new land that's cleared to build these. Sometimes, existing facilities are converted into self-storage units.

Bill Doyle recently wrote about a beloved bowling alley being shut down. And what's going in its place? Yup, you guessed it. Another big-box storage facility.

If you're curious, you can click here to check out Bills' story regarding the bowling alley. That's only one example of many where a self-storage facility replaces a former business.

Another example can be found on Route 36 in Hazlet. The former Shoprite building that has sat vacant for years is being repurposed into a big-box storage facility (Click here to read more about that).

Now, it's possible a bunch of these are springing up simply because they're quite profitable. From an owner's standpoint, it makes sense.

But still, is there really a market for this in our state? Am I missing something here?

So again, it begs the question. Do people living in New Jersey really have so much crap that we need so many of these big-box storage facilities?

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 weekend host Mike Brant. Any opinions expressed are his own.