PHARR, Texas - Pharr Economic Development Corporation is not just getting more and more calls for warehouse space. The EDC is being asked for bigger and bigger warehouses.
The EDC’s property and business manager, Janie Cavazos, acknowledged as much in a recent presentation to real estate developers, brokers and bankers.
“After hearing of what's happening with this area and all the near-shoring that is going on, we’re seeing a lot of activity happening, Cavazos said.
“So, when you look at what type of projects we're currently working on and the dynamics in terms of the size of buildings that are being requested, they're no longer your 50,000 or 80,000 square feet warehouses. We're looking at 100,000, 150,000, up to a million square feet. And this would be for one tenant. We're seeing a lot of that.”
Cavazos made her presentation at the latest monthly investment and commercialization tour hosted by the Rio Grande Valley Partnership. The presentation took place at the Tierra Del Sol Golf Club. It was followed by a bus tour of Pharr’s industrial parks near the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge.
In her video presentation, Cavazos spoke about the new warehouses being constructed by companies like Capote, Dekal, Majestic, Zuko, Aztec Realty, MAS Logistics, and CIL Logistics.
Cavazos encouraged those listening to her presentation to go upstairs and see a 3-D model of a new industrial park being planned by Zuko. It will cater exclusively for the fresh produce industry.
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The president of Zuko Industrial Construction, Andres Zuniga, was present with members of his team. He said demand for larger and larger warehouse space is off the charts.
“I think, like, 45 percent of the space in our planned new park is already spoken for. With the expansion of the bridge, everybody’s coming to Pharr,” Zuniga said.
Discussing his company’s new project, Zuniga said: “We already have commitments from McAllen and from all over the United State and Mexico. “There's going to be attorneys also to handle the investment visas for new projects. The banks are willing to finance, even if they're Mexican companies. So there's going to be people supporting the produce industry like US Customs brokers. We are talking to banks to see which ones will come. Restaurants, truck companies, everything supporting the industry.”
Sofia Rodriguez, project designer and and design coordinator for Zuko, said: “The park has a capacity of 75 warehouses available in modules of 10,500 square feet. All the modules are for sale. It will be located on the corner of Veterans Road and HiLine Road,” Rodriguez said.
Editor's Note: Here is an audio recording of the presentation made by Janie Cavazos on behalf of Pharr EDC:
