Ridge Development Plans Industrial Park for N. Fort Worth

By Liviu Oltean, Associate Editor

Transwestern

Ridge Development, the industrial development arm of Transwestern Development Co., has unveiled plans to develop a 642,000-square-foot, dual rail-served industrial park in north Fort Worth.

Called Railhead Industrial Park, the 47-acre project will unfold in two phases. The first phase will consist of a 299,000-square-foot speculative building at the southeast corner of North Main Street and East Industrial Road. According to a statement from the developer, the building is designed to accommodate single- or multi-tenant use. Ridge expects to break ground in the second quarter and complete the building by the end of the year. The second phase will consist of a build-to-suit, 343,000-square-foot building.

As Commercial Property Executive reported recently, a new trend has emerged in the Dallas-Fort Worth industrial market. In a departure from recent years, when most industrial activity stemmed from big-box spaces and large build-to-suit opportunities, developers and investors are focusing increasingly on smaller-scale operations.

“The low vacancy levels in buildings under 300,000 square feet, coupled with the limited availability of rail-served product in Dallas-Fort Worth, are leading drivers for Ridge to commence its speculative development,” said Rob Dye, vice president of Ridge Development, in the statement. “Provided the flurry of big-box development over the last few years, Ridge sees opportunity in smaller, infill product and has focused its attention to these types of developments.”