25 Acres of Industrial Land Sells

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OTAY MESA, CA-A local 25-acre parcel of industrial land has sold for an undisclosed amount. In the deal, Piper Otay Partner LLC, a group of developers transplanted from Canada, acquired the land from Pilot Travel Centers LLC.The land is bounded by Piper Ranch Road, Otay Mesa Road and the future SR-125, which will link Central San Diego to the Otay Mesa border area when it opens in the fall. Early plans call for development of industrial or light retail uses.According to Rob Hixson, SIOR of CB Richard Ellis, the land is located about a mile from Brown Field Municipal Airport and issues related to the airfield could have an impact on how the industrial parcel eventually plays out.”The new airport advisory group is putting restraints on what can be built near the airport,” Hixson tells Globest.com. He says the constraints could hinder any high-density projects.While the airport advisory group’s restraints may nix some development ideas for the site, Hixson points out that the land has a variety of projects on the table. One potential outcome that is gaining steam would include used cars. “We believe the bigger used car guys, like a CarMax, would be a good fit,” Hixson says.Nearby Chula Vista has a burgeoning auto alley of new car dealers and would like to keep a distance from used car sellers like a CarMax, he adds, opening the door for a big car dealer at the site.Hixson also says to keep an eye on the eventual use of the nearby airfield. He is part of a coalition that is looking to get that site redrawn. Currently, it’s an 850-acre parcel used for corporate planes. “We’ve been trying to see it more like Hillsborough, a smaller air field near Portland,” Hixson says. Redrawing the field would allow for additional development opportunities, including housing.As for the industrial land, it’s part of an 80-acre site that Pilot Travel Centers purchased last year. Pilot Travel Centers, which has 267 travel centers throughout the country, will use the remaining acreage to develop San Diego’s first Pilot Travel Center.Hixson represented both the buyer and the seller in the deal. Rich Kwasny and Shane Harmon of CB Richard Ellis aided Hixson in the transaction.