GRAPEVINE—Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) is coming to Grapevine.

The proposed project will involve two facilities: a regional Parts Distribution Center (PDC) designed to support the sales and distribution of spare parts to the customers and dealer network of MBUSA along with a Learning & Performance Center (LPC). The LPC is relocating from Houston to the Grapevine site and plans to be a high-end technical facility to accommodate ongoing training of Mercedes-Benz dealership technicians from around the Southwest region. 

"The MBUSA project is a great win for the city's economic development effort," Bruno Rumbelow, City of Grapevine city manager, told GlobeSt.com. "Having a world-class company make this investment--that means many new jobs/visitors--was a critical element in our desire to get this deal done."

As a new home for these two facilities, MBUSA has selected the site consisting of 31-plus acres of the approximately 50 acres along Lakeside Parkway at Enterprise Road owned by the City of Grapevine. Once fully operational, the training facility will be staffed with approximately 50 full-time employees with the ability to train 150 to 200 technicians per week.  The PDC is planned to be approximately 254,000 square feet and the LPC is approximately 59,000 square feet.  

The purchaser of the land and developer for this project is Seefried Industrial Properties Inc., in partnership with a long-time European capital partner (FRAPAG). Seefried has a historical relationship with the City of Grapevine and was the original developer of the successful and 100 percent leased Northfield project along Dallas Road.  

MBUSA has executed a development agreement with Seefried Properties and will purchase the project upon completion.  Design is under way and will be submitted for permitting in February 2016. The initial site work will start in January 2016 with a full construction start in March 2016. MBUSA's target completion and occupancy date is January 2017, with full operations commencing March 1, 2017.