KANSAS CITY—The Opus Group has just started construction on the second building for its 56 Commerce Center, a master-planned industrial park in the suburb of Olathe, KS. One of the factors motivating the Minneapolis-based developer to greenlight the new 230,122-square-foot speculative industrial building was the recent completion and quick sale of a similar building, the park's first, to Orizon, a manufacturer for the aerospace and defense industry.
“They came in with a plan for tremendous job growth,” Joe Downs, vice president, real estate development, Opus Development Co., LLC, tells GlobeSt.com. “That momentum was very valuable to us. It helps bring validity to the value proposition of the park. And it's a signal to others that this is a great place to do business.”
The Kansas City region's industrial market is firing on all cylinders. Developers have finished millions of square feet of spec space in the past couple of years, and Olathe and surrounding Johnson County have become particular favorites.
As reported in GlobeSt.com, Kansas City is now a big player in the auto industry. But companies interested in new Olathe space are a diverse set, adds Downs, and include aerospace firms, logistics providers and manufacturers.
Opus designed this building to accommodate a variety of tenants. The front parking lot will allow tenants to have offices upfront and project something besides a strictly industrial look, says Downs. “It fills a different niche in this market.” And the 32' clear building will have a rear truck court with a potential for up to 35 stalls. Additionally, the park offers access to major interstates, including I-35, I-435 and I-49. The company plans to complete the project in May 2018. The full 56 Commerce Center has 53 acres of land and can house up to three buildings totaling 505,000 square feet.
Opus' recent portfolio of work includes more than seven million square feet of industrial developments currently under construction or completed in the past 24 months across the US.
Opus Development Co., LLC is the developer, Opus Design Build, LLC is the design-builder and Opus AE Group, LLC is the architect and structural engineer of record. Joe Orscheln and Mike Mitchelson with CBRE are marketing the property for lease.
“On the heels of successfully finishing the first building, we continue to see a need for this type of space in a convenient location like 56 Commerce Center,” says Downs, “so it's great to have shovels in the ground on our second building.”
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Brian J. Rogal
Brian J. Rogal is a Chicago-based freelance writer with years of experience as an investigative reporter and editor, most notably at The Chicago Reporter, where he concentrated on housing issues. He also has written extensively on alternative energy and the payments card industry for national trade publications.
