MISSOURI CITY, TX-After an 18-month search of sites in Greater Houston, Ben E. Keith Co. has settled on 82.2 acres of rail-served property in Fort Bend County's Beltway Crossing Business Park. Other acreage in the area has sold for $2.50 per sf to $5.50 per sf while similar-size parcels in the park have been listed for $206,000 per acre.

Fort Worth-based Ben E. Keith's broker, Jude Filippone, vice president of locally based Transwestern, says the decisionmakers were the accessibility to the Port of Houston and the rest of the region via Beltway 8. The parcel is situated at the junction of Gessner and Cravens roads. The distributor bought the land from the 330-acre park's local developer, BC Business Park, which was self-represented.

"They'd been looking at this parcel for the past six to eight months," Filippone tells GlobeSt.com. He says an area-wide search began in late 2005 for a development site, even venturing as far east as Baytown.

Filippone can't comment on Ben E. Keith's development plans due to confidentiality agreements. Area sources, who aren't involved with the deal, speculate Ben E. Keith plans to boost its distribution presence in the market to take advantage of increased activity and off-loading space at the port.

The company, which distributes beer, beverages and foods, has a small presence at 201 Airport Beach Rd. in nearby Conroe, where it operates a sales center and truck facility. Company executives didn't return telephone calls seeking comment about the development by deadline.