Mystery company leases huge Route 33 warehouse

Two down, one to go.

That’s the situation for Duke Realty Corp., the Indianapolis industrial developer that recently completed and leased its second warehouse in Palmer Township and has now started construction on its third planned building near Route 33.

But it remains unclear who is leasing Duke Realty’s second warehouse, a 628,475-square-foot structure at 1611 Van Buren Road within the developer’s 33 Logistics Park complex. In a news release Tuesday, Duke Realty described the tenant as a “leading national third-party logistics company.”

Jeff Palmquist, senior vice president of Duke Realty’s Northeast Region, declined to identify the company, which he said signed a lease on the property last month and plans to occupy the building in the fourth quarter.

But Duke Realty has contacted Palmer Township to set up a meeting within the next two to three weeks, which is when the township would learn how the warehouse will be built out internally for the tenant, according to David Colver, chairman of the Palmer Township Board of Supervisors.

“We’ll know in the next few weeks who the tenant is, and what they’re planning to do,” Colver said.

The news release indicates the tenant is a company already familiar with the Lehigh Valley.

“Our tenant’s customer had outgrown their existing space in the Lehigh Valley, but wanted to remain in the market to effectively service their clients throughout the Northeast,” said Dave Saltzman and Brian Knowles in a joint comment from Lee & Associates, which represented the tenant. “33 Logistics Center 1611 was an ideal building for them because it gave them the additional space they need, plus keeps them in a location that is strategic to their operations.”

Neither Saltzman nor Knowles responded to a call seeking further comment.

With two warehouses within 33 Logistics Park now fully leased — the first warehouse completed, a 1.1-million-square-foot building, is occupied by Amazon — Duke Realty has started construction on its third industrial building in Palmer.

The third building, at just over 1 million square feet, will be known as 33 Logistics Park 1620 and is slated for completion in April.

“We are pleased to welcome our new tenant to 33 Logistics Park 1611 and excited to start another building in this dynamic distribution park,” Palmquist said. “With the quick lease-up of both of our bulk warehouses in 33 Logistics Park and ongoing demand for distribution space in the Lehigh Valley, we wanted to be sure that we are well-positioned to offer move-in ready, first-class space to companies with immediate space needs.”

Duke Realty’s warehouses are on more than 100 acres off Main Street and Van Buren Road at the Route 33 interchange, which was opened in June 2015. The complex, 33 Logistics Park, is part of the 800-acre Chrin Commerce Centre that includes the interchange, warehouses and plans for light industrial, retail and other commercial buildings.

In addition to 33 Logistics Park, Duke Realty’s Lehigh Valley footprint includes two warehouses in the West Hills Business Center in Weisenberg Township and a 73-acre site along Interstate 78 in Bethel Township, Berks County, for development of an up to 832,000-square-foot building.

But with strong demand for industrial space in the area — Palmquist said there are several large prospects looking for space in the Lehigh Valley right now — Duke Realty is interested in acquiring more land.

“This is our last piece of ground, so we’re actively out looking for sites,” Palmquist said.

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