2,000-Acre Worldport Plans Unveiled

The first phase will contain up to six distribution centers, totaling two million sf, that will go up on 200 acres of the massive tract, which has frontage along Texas 146 and is positioned within nine miles of Interstate 10.

Los Angeles-based CB Richard Ellis Inc.'s Houston office is handling leasing and sales. Houston-based IMS Worldwide Inc., a customs consulting firm, is on board to offer expert advice with regard to the Foreign Trade Zone development, which will have an off-loading storage yard for up to 6,000 railcars plus an inbound and outbound flow capacity for another 4,000 railcars.

Gray Gilbert, CBRE's vice president in Houston, tells GlobeSt.com that the Worldport has been in the works for the past year, with the green light coming from a recent agreement by all participants. Joe Powers of Powers Brown Architecture in Houston has been hired to design the buildings.

Plastics manufacturers and their logistics providers are the targeted users for the raw materials distribution hub. The bottom line is to shave costs in the supply chain for the plastics industry as well as other large importers seeking distribution access in the region, according to a CBRE press release.

All options--multi-tenant, single tenant, lease or sale--will be used to develop the industrial park. Gilbert says the first ground-breaking will hinge on leasing progress. His best-guess is that at least one structure will be under way before the year ends. Gilbert says the 2,000-acre build-out could take as long as a decade.

Charles Gallagher, the Allen Group's senior vice president, says Worldport will offer "a unique value proposition" because it has a direct connect to the port via the Burlington Northern Santa Fe and Union Pacific lines. The strategy is that incoming raw product can be off-loaded at one of the park's distribution buildings and then shipped via rail or road to the manufacturer.