One of the few small-scale industrial developments in Southern California's Inland Empire is underway. In January, real estate developer Omni West Group Inc. began constructing a 50,125 sq. ft. industrial complex in Riverside. The 2.5-acre project, which will be known as the Rivera Industrial Business Park, will feature four buildings with eight units apiece. Each petite unit will range from 5,220 to 6,246 sq. ft. in size.
“Small-box industrial buildings are in short supply throughout the Inland Empire, where vacancy rates continue to hover around 5%,” says Kip Dubbs, president and CEO of Omni Group West. A “small box” industrial project is loosely defined as having less than 100,000 sq. ft. of leasable space.
Dubbs says that many companies seeking smaller-scale facilities don't have many choices since most of the newer projects feature 100,000 sq. ft. or more. That has also made it challenging for smaller users to find well-located space since most of these larger projects have sprung up in high-traffic areas near major freeways.
The Rivera Industrial Business Park will offer smaller users the same amenities that large distributors and logistics firms in the Inland Empire are already benefiting from, including a state-of-the-art facility, Dubbs says. The project is slated for completion during the third quarter of this year.