Approximately 20 million square feet of prime class A industrial distribution centers are due to hit the Port of Charleston market in the next few years. Speculative buildings in the 200,000 – 1.5 million square foot range are scheduled for a number of key developments within an hours’ drive of the port facilities luring large-scale import and export operations to the immediate port area. The total foot print of these projects is more than 2,600 acres.

Private sector developers are driving this trend. Some of the most prominent companies in the industrial development business are aggressively pursuing and closing projects within a range that will deliver 4+ truck turns per day.

The good news is that there is still time to get in to these developments as their buildings initially hit the market. Demand for distribution center space near ports in the fast-growing Southeastern U.S. market is skyrocketing and Charleston still represents an opportunity for early entry. The Port of Charleston is the next big deal in distribution.