(To read more on the industrial market, click here.)

McDONOUGH, GA-Oakmont Industrial Group has started the first phase of construction on the speculative 1.6-million-sf SouthPort Logistics Center. The building, which is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter, will initially contain 912,600 sf.

SouthPort is situated on 106 acres in the Henry County submarket close to Interstate 75. Tom Cobb, Oakmont's senior vice president of development, tells GlobeSt.com that Oakmont engaged logistics consultants while planning the building, which has been designed to "provide as much function as possible." Among design features of the building will be a 36-ft ceilings, four feet higher than the 32-ft ceilings found in similar facilities. The floor slabs will be 7-inches thick to accommodate the heavier loads that higher ceilings will likely bring. Other design features include 54-ft by 48-ft column spacing, 200-ft-deep full concrete truck courts and trailer storage capacity for up to 735 secured spaces. "A few years ago, trailer spaces were an afterthought. Now, it's a necessity," Cobb says.

The park has also been designed to meet the physical security requirements of the Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) and is in the process of securing foreign trade zone designation.