Sunbelt has just started to move into the 1970s-era warehouse at2550 Downing St., according to Craig Hughes, director of Dallasbased Cushman & Wakefield of Texas Inc. He told Globest.comthat Sunbelt opted to "test" the location with a short term leasebecause it's just a shade under the 15 mile count off of higherdryage cost. Sunbelt will be transporting containers of 2,000-poundcotton bales to the Union Pacific railroad inter-modal facility inAlliance, T, which is 14.9 miles haul from the warehouse.

Hughes says Sunbelt plans to keep some warehouses in West Texasand close a couple smaller ones since it has found a Fort Worthdistribution spot. The deal maker was that "it's a low costefficient building," he says, adding the 20-plus dock doors wonhigh points with the tenant.

According to Hughes, Sunbelt is one of the few cottondistributors that always ships full containers on both import andexport routes. Sunbelt operates a 450,000-sf distribution center inHouston and has another large facility in Memphis. Hughes estimatesthat Fresno, CA-based Sunbelt has nearly four million sf ofdistribution centers in the US.