To further reduce operating costs, the buildings feature 50% more skylights than thetypical new industrial building as well as several clerestory windows that Johnson says provide 50% more natural light. Additional savings are generated through power-saving rooftop heating- and ventilation-systems, automatic controls on interior warehouse lights and other features.

Johnson says such features, along with the fact that the buildings are also flexible enough to be used as office space, should help the developer's marketing efforts. Several prospective tenants have already expressed interest in the structures, he adds, though he won't say who they are.

Still, filling the new space won't necessarily be an easy task than can quickly be accomplished. Leasing activity in the South Bay has slowed in lockstep with the economy, and cargo volume at the twin ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach—which some consider a harbinger of future business—has dropped dramatically in recent months.

The South Bay's industrial direct vacancy rate of 5.1% in the third quarter was among the highest of any LA area market, according to a report by CB Richard Ellis. Moreover, its 9.1% rate after space available for sublease was factored in was the highest in the entire county.