Joe DownsCEO & Co-Founder, Belrose Storage Group. Founder, Storage Moguls.

How narrow aisles quietly crush your NOI

2 May 2026 · 1 min

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In this segment, the speaker explains how the width of drive aisles in vehicle storage facilities directly harms net operating income (NOI). Narrow aisles that cannot accommodate vehicles longer than 30 feet limit the facility’s space mix, leaving larger bays empty or forcing them to be rented at discounted rates to smaller vehicles. This reduces revenue per square foot. Additionally, the lack of adequate aisle width pushes the property into the low‑end market because high‑value tenants with large vehicles avoid facilities where they feel unsafe or constrained, opting for premium competitors instead. The combined effect of vacant or under‑priced space and loss of premium tenants creates a measurable hit to NOI.

Chapters

Here's what a narrow drive aisle costs you, and it's more than just one frustrated tenant. First, it limits your space mix. If your aisles can't handle vehicles over 30 feet, you can't rent the larger spaces even if you build them. Those spaces sit vacant or rent at a discount to smaller vehicles that don't need the larger space, and that's a direct hit to your NOI. Second, it forces you into the low end of the market. Tenants with high-value large vehicles will not store at a facility where they're nervous every time they try to They'll pay more at a facility where the infrastructure matches the asset. When your aisles are too narrow, you're not competing with premium facilities.