PHOENIX—The city of Mesa has recognized American Metals, located at 740 W. Broadway Rd., as part of its Extraordinary Properties campaign. It was one of five properties named and the only commercial property to make the list. The recipients were recognized at a March 3 City Council meeting.
The business, which recycles scrap metal, redeveloped the site where it has been located for 35 years with a surprising solution to screen the storage necessary for this type of business by utilizing recycled box car doors. The doors were sand blasted to create a weathered and rustic appearance. The owner also provided new desert landscaping along the perimeter of the business.
Irwin Sheinbein, owner of American Metals, tells GlobeSt.com, “Of course we were pleasantly surprised and honored.”
Sheinbein explains that the usual zoning would stand for a 10-foot-high block wall around the perimeter of the property.
“Box car doors are 13 feet tall, but they provide extra screening and greater security, and they stand up to fork lift damage much better than a block wall does,” Sheinbein tells GlobeSt.com. “So we worked with planning and zoning and an architect with a lot of experience to create this solution.”
Sheinbein negotiated with a company that demos railroad equipment and eventually purchased 245 of the box car door that now protect the entire perimeter of his property. One box car, which makes up part of the fence, is accessible from the inside of the property and is used for storage.
The doors are welded to one another with every other door connected to a pipe with a cement footing to keep the hefty box car wall in place.
Want to continue reading?
Become a Free ALM Digital Reader.
Once you are an ALM Digital Member, you’ll receive:
- Breaking commercial real estate news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
- Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
- Critical coverage of the property casualty insurance and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, PropertyCasualty360 and ThinkAdvisor
Already have an account? Sign In Now
*May exclude premium content© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
