"We're pleased to have developed a facility that meets modern Class A industrial standards," says Guy Jaquier, AMB's president for the Europe and Asia sectors. Jaquier calls the GM agreement a "milestone" for the hulking project, which is in the Gonesse Industrial Park. Product quality was a key reason GM tabbed Gonesse after a site search throughout the greater Paris market, offers Jaquier. Besides extensive clear heights and loading docks, AMB Gonesse is equipped with state-of-the-art fire safety/suppression and security features.

The GM space will be used to supplant an outmoded logistics operation through which spare parts are shipped to support the auto giant's Opel division. Besides providing quick access to the Charles de Gaulle International Airport four miles away, the new building is close to Le Bourget Airport and Paris City Center via the immediately adjacent A1 motorway. The other pre-lease at AMB Gonesse, signed in March, is for 118,000 sf, or about 20% of the building.

France has become a significant international market for AMB this decade. The San Francisco-based real estate investment trust controls a portfolio exceeding 128 million sf in 40 markets and 13 countries. AMB recently opened an office in the City of Lights, reflecting the company's belief in the region, and now has more than 2.5 million sf concentrated in the Lyon and Paris markets. Throughout Europe, AMB has operating and development ventures in Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain.