RC2 Taking 400,000 SF at CenterPoint Intermodal

ROCHELLE, IL-RC2 Corp., which makes die-cast replicas of cars and trucks, will be the first tenant in CenterPoint Properties Trust’s CenterPoint Intermodal Center – Rochelle in this town on the far western edge of the Chicago market. The Oak Brook-based REIT says it is beginning construction immediately on a 400,000-sf facility for RC2, which it plans to use as its Midwest US distribution center.

CenterPoint Properties Trust hopes to complete the building during the fourth quarter, but construction crews may be doing more work for RC2 Corp. next year or 2006. RC2 has bought a two-year option on 18 acres next to their first building and may use the land to build another 400,000-sf expansion.

Although terms were not disclosed, CenterPoint’s development costs have been averaging about $40 per sf so far this year, which would put RC2′s building in the neighborhood of $16 million.

The 362-acre CenterPoint Intermodal Center – Rochelle is less than a mile from the 1,200-acre Union Pacific Global III intermodal facility, expected to capitalize on its location near major interstates as well as distance from Chicago traffic congestion. CenterPoint can build up to 5.2 million sf of industrial space on its 362 acres.

“As anticipated, we are seeing a variety of logistics-related customers that need intermodal access near the intersection of Interstate 39 and Interstate 80,” says CenterPoint Properties Trust senior vice president of development Mike Murphy Sr.