Freeport North Tenant Expands, Takes 143,000-SF Spec Project

Uline Inc., which occupies 160,000 sf in Freeport VIII, had developers of all new space within a two-mile radius jockeying for the long-term deal. "They needed to get in. If we were a month later in delivering, we would have lost the deal," Jeff Turner, senior vice president for the Indianapolis-based Duke, tells GlobeSt.com. "We really sped up getting this building up and done. It's the fastest we've built a building in Dallas."

Four months ago, Duke ramped up work on a two-building spec addition to its 3.5-million-sf park, which is 95% occupied. Uline's warehouse and its 95,677-sf sister at 700 Bethany Rd. will deliver March 15. Turner says there are 13 acres left in the 200-acre Freeport North. And, he says, "the odds are high" that another spec building will come off the drawing board before too long.

Turner says talks, as expected, were aggressive to win Uline's nod. "As any deal goes in Dallas, TX, with savvy competitors, you always have to be aggressive," he says. The spec space was on the market for $4.50 per sf to $5.50 per sf net.

In sync with the completion, Turner says the crew will build out 2% of the building as office for Uline, which is a shipping supply specialist based in Waukegan IL. The rear-load Freeport XIV has 25 dock doors and a 24-foot clear height. Duke's leasing representative Jeff Thornton won the deal in talks with Dave Anderson, a senior executive for CB Richard Ellis Inc. in Dallas.