Groundbreaking Set for 300,000-SF High-Tech Mixed-Use Complex

Orlando-Dirt will start moving later this month at the Monroe CommerCenter, a 300,000-sf regional manufacturing, distribution and small bay industrial facility. The project, located south of S.R. 46 on Monroe Rd. and Church Street in Sanford, is designed to accommodate all industrial users in need of access to a transportation network serving Central Florida from Orlando to Daytona.

According to Geof Longstaff, COO at Maitland-based NAI Realvest, which is developing the high-tech project, the first construction phase at Monroe CommerCenter North–on the north side of Church Street–comprises 90,000 sf. Tilt-wall design offers 24-foot clearance throughout to attract large-scale regional distribution and manufacturing operations.

“We have already generated significant interest from several potential users, including a Fortune 500 company,” Longstaff says, adding that a second, 97,000-sf phase is planned to follow.

Edwards Construction Co. has been named general contractor for the $8.6-million project, the first phase of which should open by Q4 2002. The next phase, Monroe CommerCenter South, will include five buildings on a 9.2-acre site that will offer warehouse, showroom and office facilities ranging from roughly 1,500 sf to 2,500 sf, along with outdoor storage facilities. “Typically, a large regional distributor will attract several smaller suppliers – manufacturers and importers – who need to locate nearby,” Longstaff notes. “We plan to accommodate them all,” he added.