ATLANTA—Built-to-suit. I'm seeing a lot more of it in the early months of 2014 than I did a year ago. The latest example is Duke Realty, which signed a 256,600-square-foot build-to-suit lease and a 657,200-square-foot lease extension with Dick's Sporting Goods for its distribution center at Camp Creek Business Center in East Point, GA.

Dick's, the largest sporting goods retailer in the US, already occupies the entire distribution building at 3909 North Commerce Drive at Camp Creek. The current facility is in a 2.6-million-square-foot business park three miles from Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

"Dick's Sporting Goods' election to expand its regional distribution center at Camp Creek Business Center is exceptional news for Duke Realty and the City of East Point," says Chris Brown, senior vice president of Duke's Southeast Region. He notes the move will "accommodate their ongoing growth and supply chain optimization."  

Duke will break ground on the distribution center expansion, which will include relocation and expansion of trailer parking, in the fourth quarter of 2014. With the long-term lease extension and expansion, Dick's will occupy a total of 913,800 square feet of space at Camp Creek.

"This expansion continues the momentum at Camp Creek Business Center, where FedEx will open a new build-to-suit distribution center later this year and Kuehne + Nagel recently established its Southeast U.S. headquarters," Smith says. "In addition, a 3,300-foot extension of North Commerce Drive was recently opened."

Developed and funded by Duke, the three-lane road extension includes a signalized intersection at Washington Road and provides tenants immediate access to the Washington Road/I-285 interchange. One of the largest mixed-use business parks in Atlanta, Camp Creek is home to the likes of Jaguar Land Rover North America, ADT Security Services, Homeland Security, and the Federal Aviation Administration.

Dick's has occupied 3909 North Commerce Drive since Dec. 2007. Located at Interstate 285 and Camp Creek Parkway, Camp Creek is home to more than 1,500 employees and has a variety of space and land availabilities. Wes Hardy, vice president at Duke, represented the landlord. Paul Roeser and Kris Bjorson of Jones Lang LaSalle represented Dick's.