A Santa Rosa self-storage site plagued by break-ins has been turning things around

In January, the scene at Storage King USA on Dutton Meadow in Santa Rosa wasn’t pretty. A string of break-ins and a malfunctioning gate had left storage unit doors pried open and trash strewn through the rows of lockers. Customers who’d had trouble getting straight – or any – answers from the manager were hustling to move remaining belongings to new facilities.

Six months later, however, on my next visit, I saw a different picture.

The gate was replaced. There were new cameras. Smart technology protection was added to each storage unit. Landscaping and repainting had been done.

“It’s all little stuff that adds up,” said Frank Scinta, district manager for Storage King USA. “You’re almost surrounded by security now. That wasn’t the case before.”

In the aftermath of the meltdown at the facility, occupancy dropped from 92% to 54%, a significant blow. Storage King USA has properties across the U.S., but the Santa Rosa location, with its 1,550 units, is especially large in comparison to the others, which average 550.

But, with all the changes, things have started to turn around. The site had 188 move-ins in May. Occupancy is back up to 81%. The front section of the property, reserved mostly for RVs and trailers, was almost entirely full again with only three open spots.

“We had to rebuild our credibility and respect with the community,” Scinta told me. “It certainly wasn’t there.”

Sharon McDaniel was one of the first people to alert me to the thefts and damage at Storage King USA and a sharp critic. She’d found out about the problems at the beginning of the year through the community forum Nextdoor and had little success getting through to management.

So, while she was relieved to find her belongings safe, within a few days, and despite the rain, she found a friend to help move everything she’d stored to a new facility.

Ultimately, though, McDaniel was lured back a few months later. A friend had a great experience, and she was curious to see what had changed. She was pleasantly surprised to find out the local staff had been replaced, she said, and she received profuse apologies from corporate.

The discounted rates now on offer sealed the deal.

“We all make mistakes. It’s how we clean up after ourselves that makes a difference. I felt like the company cleaned up after itself,” McDaniel told me. “It’s a story of redemption, at least for my experience.”

A stream of one-star reviews online that have steadily been replaced with five stars in recent weeks tell a similar story.

The new on-site staff, a couple who live on the property, has evidently been a major selling point. Descriptors for the pair – “helpful,” “friendly,” “very knowledgeable” – contrast sharply with what I heard about the previous manager.

“We were behind the curve and playing catch up,” said Chris Runckel, chief operating officer at New York City-based Andover Properties LLC, the parent company of Storage King USA. He’s been making frequent trips this year to the Santa Rosa property.

“They had the right to be mad. Half the battle is finding people who care about the community and facility and job and then the rest falls into place.”

When we met in June, he said he’d just ordered a 24-7 monitoring service and was assessing new fencing options.

“It’s a comeback story that we’re about half to two-thirds the way through,” Runckel said.

A police investigation into the break-ins is still ongoing. Three people were arrested earlier this year. Some stolen goods were recovered and returned, but other property never was. One theory law enforcement is looking into is whether any previous local staff were involved.

I called up another customer, Hope Lehman. When we’d last talked, she’d been making trips every couple of days to check on her storage locker since she couldn’t afford to move.

“Things have definitely changed over there,” she told me. “I feel much better now.”

“In Your Corner” is a column that puts watchdog reporting to work for the community. If you have a concern, a tip, or a hunch, you can reach “In Your Corner” Columnist Marisa Endicott at 707-521-5470 or marisa.endicott@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @InYourCornerTPD and Facebook @InYourCornerTPD.