Ford's 210,000-SF Build-to-Suit Under Way

The $4.7-million, tilt-wall project is going up on a 16-acre tract at 4750 Liberty Way in Alliance Business Park. Owner Catellus Development Corp. of San Francisco signed Ford to three other long-term leases in the past two months for similar undertakings at the Spreckles Business Park in Manteca, CA, Stapleton Business Center in Denver and Rancho Cucamonga Corporate Park in the Inland Empire in Southern California. In all, the leases, including Fort Worth's, tallied about 1.3 million sf.

Designed by Dallas-based Alliance Architects, the Fort Worth building will have 11,000 sf of office space, 15 dock doors and 40 trailer parking spaces. Cadence McShane's Bruce Fletcher is the project manager and Gary Stephens, superintendent. The general contractor is an affiliate of Rosemont, IL-based McShane Cos. The site is located in AllianceTexas' Gateway development off Westport and Independence parkways.

A Cadence McShane contact says the Ford project is one of 19 such centers going up in the US. The build-to-suit is classified as a "high-velocity center." Some 31,000 of the fastest-moving parts in the manufacturer's inventory will be distributed from the location in a strategy to guarantee next-day delivery and improved inventory performance for 300 plus dealerships, according to information provided by Cadence McShane. The parts targeted for distribution account for 84% of Ford dealers' most immediate inventory needs.

The Ford project represents a coup for Catellus and the region with construction slowing in sync with the economy. Developers, inside and outside of Texas, are playing it safe and allowing build-to-suit activity to lead the way until the economy shows picks up speed.