WARREN, MI-The company charged with finding clients interestedin filling the WarrenCommerce Center said they might be close toputting in users at the 1.1million sf former tank plant.DonaldFerrari, president of Crudo Brothers, says he hopes to havetwotenants take over about 700,000 sf at the large building within45 days.Negotiations are ongoing, he said, but the end seems near.Automotivesuppliers and manufacturers may likely be the newusers.

“We've been talking to a lot of potential users since July, whenwe tookover the facility,” Ferrari says. “It's not like we can getsmall users.It's a huge building, about 600 ft. by 2,000 ft., thesmallest tenant wecould put in would have to use at least 100,000sf. That's a pretty goodsize tenant in our town, it's not likewe're Chicago or Los Angeles, wherethat's considered small.”

He said he's fairly confident the deal will be closed. “We'vebeen at thetable for some time,” he says. The company lost a newconstruction projectat the 153-acre complex a few months ago when aplanned medical facility tofront along Van Dyke Avenue wascanceled.The city bought the former US Army base last year after itclosed, and hasworked with the US Environmental Protection Agencyand the MichiganDepartment of Environmental Quality to encourageprivate development at thesite.