In September, Lowe's acquired a 205-acre parcel in Lebanon, OR on which it will develop a 1.36-million-sf distribution facility that may ultimately be expanded to more than two million sf. Even at the smaller size, the distribution center will be among the top three largest single-story buildings in the state when it is complete in late 2007.

A source at Lowe's told GlobeSt.com in September that the company will break ground on the estimated $90-million project as soon as it receives one additional permit from the Army Corps of Engineers related to wetlands mitigation. As part of the estimated $12-million incentive package put together to entice the company to develop the facility here, Lowe's acquired the property for $6.91 million or just $0.77 per sf.

The parcel is located northwest of the intersection of Reeves Parkway and Hansard Avenue and is bounded on the north by Gore Drive. The property is located within the city limits and is zoned industrial. According to the City of Lebanon, Lowe's has shown plans for a possible future expansion of the center to 2.15 million sf.

The building will have five miles of conveyor belts and serve 75 Lowe's stores in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana. Nationwide, the company has about 1,150 stores in 49 states, with another 150 planned for 2006. The company had sales of $36.5 billion in 2004.