Countdown Under Way for 420,360-SF Take-Over

The undertaking pretty much has been kept under wraps by the developer and long-term tenant of the 4701 Gold Spike Dr. project in one of Fort Worth's leading industrial submarkets. ConAgra bargained the project's way to fruition via a tax incentive package with the city and then all fell silent as ground broke and the massive development rose near a one million-sf Mattel Corp. distribution center.

In fall 2001, GlobeSt.com's southeastern bureau reported ConAgra was spearheading distribution projects in Fort Worth, Knoxville, TN, St. Augustine, FL and Lebanon, IN. In Fort Worth, the project was practically a state secret, with crews reportedly just now being able to call the incoming tenant by its brand name.

The Railhead project has shifted into the tenant improvement stage, jumpstarted by a recent building permit with a $2.2-million value. The project's delivery will cap Opus South's activity in the park. The ConAgra center is a design of Opus Architects & Engineering, based in Minnetonka, MN, with Opus South wearing three hats as developer, general contractor and coordinator and manager for TI construction.

Railhead Properties Inc. and Dalmac Cos. are the partners behind the industrial park, capable of supporting some 11 million sf of office, industrial and warehouse product. The park is positioned near Interstate 35W, NE Loop 820 and Blue Mound Road and comes with dual rail service from Union Pacific and Burlington Northern Santa Fe that can be fed to all buildings, a rare amenity in the Tarrant County mix of industrial projects.

Needless to say, Omaha-based ConAgra Foods was as major of a catch for Railhead as Mattel. The incoming tenant boasts annual sales upward of $27 billion from restaurants and institutions. More than 30 of its 80-brand line each tops the $100-million mark in annual sales.