Bluestem Partners and Cushman & Wakefield Sage Partners teamed up to turn a building that was vacant for more than 20 years into the largest industrial park in the state of Arkansas with the South Port Commerce Center in Little Rock.
The cross-dock warehouse and distribution center started construction in 2022 and completed in July 2023. The project was recognized as the commercial development of the year in Little Rock/N. Little Rock as part of the 2024 CoStar Impact Awards, which were judged by real estate professionals familiar with the market.
The new project was developed by Bluestem Partners of Kansas City with Bailey Construction serving as the general contractor and Sage Partners marketing the project for lease. Completion of Phase 1 is scheduled for the second quarter of 2023. of a one million square foot industrial storage space at the Port of Little Rock.
The South Port Commerce Center will be a two-building speculative industrial development totaling 966,335 square feet of modern class A industrial space in the Port of Little Rock. A 537,845-square-foot cross-dock facility with 68 dock doors, 52 future doors, four drive-in doors, 160 trailer parking spaces and 449 regular parking spaces was completed in the first phase. A second phase will feature a 428,000-square-foot building cross-dock facility with 68 dock doors, 52 future docks, four drive-in doors, 143 trailer parking spaces and 300 regular spaces.
“This investment will add much need industrial storage capacity to the Port, fueling growth of both current and future Port industries,” said Clay McGeorge, Little Rock Port Authority board member said in a statement about the development.
About the Project: The South Port Commerce Center includes two speculative buildings located in the Port of Little Rock, the largest industrial park in the State of Arkansas, which provides access to I-40, I-30, I-440, and US 67/167 as well as access to the Port of Little Rock short line railroad and barge offloading capabilities.
What the Judges Said: "This structure had previously been vacant for over 20 years. Its development will have an impact unlike any other in downtown Little Rock in quite some time." — Gabe Holmstrom, executive director, Downtown Little Rock Partnership.
"The Port continues to drive fundamental growth in the Little Rock market." — Matthew Beachboard, brokerage director, Moses Tucker Partners.
They Made It Happen: James Isom is a founder and partner of Bluestem Partners. Jason Parker, vice president, Cushman & Wakefield Sage Partners; Austin Baier, executive vice president, CBRE.