Demand surges for outdoor storage space

April 10, 2026 — While data centers get a lot of attention, many investors are focusing on outdoor storage, a niche industrial category that is experiencing surging demand. Brown Commercial Broker Pat Crowley shared his insights with Heartland Real Estate Business, breaking down why outdoor storage space is so scarce and why it’s a compelling investment right now.

In the past decade, the rapid growth in e-commerce and trucking activity fueled a building boom that resulted in many older industrial buildings with outdoor storage being replaced with modern facilities. This has create a challenging supply-demand equation for trucking, landscaping and contracting companies that require outdoor space to store vehicles, landscaping and building equipment, and related materials.

Most logistics and distribution businesses, along with contractors and landscapers, need space close to growing population centers to store trucks, vans and materials. Many older buildings in and around Chicago’s O’Hare submarket, for example, have been torn down and redeveloped into modern industrial parks that aren’t zoned for this use. As many municipalities restrict outdoor storage, companies sometimes have to expand their search geographically beyond the core markets. It really takes a creative approach and being familiar with the building owners and the municipal requirements. These supply-demand dynamics have created favorable conditions for owners and investors who have the spaces.

See the France Media story here.