Self-storage: a new context?

Do you ever walk around a neighborhood with old, beautiful loft buildings, only to discover that Manhattan Mini-Storage already outfitted the entire building with hundreds of self-storage units? (Think: Hudson Street off Canal). And it's not just here. While I was on Virginia's Eastern Shore, a much less consumer-rich region, I heard that the growth of self storage buildings there now competes with the tomato crops. This NYTimes article tells us why:

"As competition for commercial real estate has intensified, investors are gravitating toward self-storage because it offers initial yields of 7 percent or more, well above apartment buildings."

Well. I never knew. And now how about some blending in:

"These are chameleon-like projects," said Ariel L. Valli, an architect in Aliso Viejo, Calif., whose firm has designed 350 storage facilities, including the elegant Spanish-style Date Palm Storage in Cathedral City, outside Palm Springs. "They need to blend in - - in size, shape, texture, color landscaping. Then they are better received."

Ah, making it easier for us to buy, store and forget about it.