BCB Development has broken ground on the first cold storage industrial speculative building in the Kansas City market. The Class A, 167,575-square-foot facility will be located in the Heartland Meadows Industrial Park in Liberty, Missouri. ARCO National Construction will serve as the general contractor for the project with John Stafford, Turner Wisehart and Chris Cummins with Colliers International serving as the brokers for the facility. 

The official groundbreaking of Heartland Cold Storage Logistics Center occurred on July 20, 2021, and was attended by leaders from BCB Development, Colliers International, ARCO National Construction, the City of Liberty, Missouri, the Liberty Economic Development Council, and KC SmartPort, among others. Construction of this Class A facility will include a fully-insulated building, enhanced roof loads, and specialized floor slabs to maintain refrigeration and freezer temperatures required for cold storage properties. Additionally, the facility will be customizable to the specific needs of the original tenant and has the capability to be divisible for multiple tenants if needed. BCB Development anticipates the building’s delivery in Q1 of 2022.

“BCB Development is very excited to bring the first speculative new construction cold storage building to the Kansas City market. We believe we are ahead of the curve to meet the burgeoning demand of the cold storage market segment as more goods are shipped that require cold/freezer-type storage and distribution,” says Brandon Becker of BCB Development. “Liberty, Missouri, a suburb of Kansas City, is ideally located to capitalize on Kansas City’s central location to the United States, its existing transit infrastructure, and its existing reputation as a national distribution hub city. This will allow us to attract national tenants looking for a Class A state-of-the-art facility that can reach the majority of the U.S. within 1 day.”

The Kansas City region’s $125.4 billion food and beverage industry continues to see growth with more than 670 companies located in the area and a workforce of more than 25,500 employed in food and beverage manufacturing, warehousing and distribution. As food trends continue to rapidly change and speed-to-market becomes increasingly critical, the Kansas City region has emerged as one of the largest and fastest-growing food and beverage logistics hubs in the U.S.

“The Liberty City Council and city staff identified industrial offerings, particularly speculative developments, as an opportunity for economic growth in Liberty. We set a goal to recruit these types of developments, with the ultimate goal of bringing corporate investment and jobs to our city," said Liberty Mayor, Lyndell Brenton. "Today, we are seeing that foresight, diligence and hard work coming to fruition with several new speculative industrial developments under construction (or recently completed) in Liberty. We are very proud to have the Heartland Cold Storage Logistics Center coming soon to the Heartland Meadows development and are looking forward to welcoming the future tenants to Liberty."

In the last two years, the Kansas City region has successfully attracted food and beverage companies pledging to create more than 1,800 jobs, invest over $486 million, and occupy nearly 4.2 million square feet.

“The demand for cold storage space and refrigerated transportation is significant and on the rise, fueled by shifts in consumer preferences, demand for fresh product, food transparency and changes to consumer shopping habits, amongst other factors,” said Elli Bowen, vice president of KC SmartPort. “The demand for food delivery continues to drive distribution and fulfillment facility location decisions. Kansas City’s centralized location, low operating costs and infrastructure network, coupled with available spec space, further positions the KC region as a hub for food and beverage operations.”