A 612,000 sq. ft. distribution center has opened in Southern California with a signed lease for the entire project. San Francisco-based Newcastle Partners Inc. and Hulco LLC of Santa Fe Springs, Calif. developed the Midway Distribution Center on approximately 27 acres in Fontana.

The building at 11101 Etiwanda Avenue is fully leased for 10 years to Building Materials Corp. of America. The cross-docked building features 104 dock-high loading positions, parking for approximately 154 trailers, two concrete truck courts exceeding 190 feet in length and an advanced early suppression fire sprinkler system.

Midway Distribution Center offers unparalleled access to area freeways, according to Dennis Higgs, president and CEO of Newcastle Partners. “It is an ideal distribution location in the heart of one of Southern California’s most desirable industrial business centers,” says Higgs. Jeff Smith of Lee & Associates negotiated the lease for Newcastle Partners.

Newcastle Partners develops and owns industrial, office and business park properties in California, and has announced plans to develop another 756,000 sq. ft. of industrial space in the Inland Empire with construction slated to begin soon. Those include Alabama Industrial Center I and II, a 573,000 sq. ft. industrial project; and Almond Industrial Center, a warehouse/distribution complex measuring 186,000 sq. ft. Both projects are located in Redlands, Calif.

“These Inland Empire industrial developments are part of our overall strategy to acquire well-located parcels in prime locations along major interstate transportation arteries in which to build Class-A warehouse/distribution buildings to meet the current demand in Southern California,” added Higgs.