Port of Oakland Commissioners have approved the final permit associated with one of the most anticipated industrial developments in Port history. They voted last week to approve a vertical permit – industrial vernacular for a building construction permit – at a long-awaited Seaport Logistics Complex.
The developer, CenterPoint Properties, began preparation and ground stabilization work on its 27-acre site over the last nine months and is actively engaged in construction on the 460,000 square-foot facility, with completion expected mid-2020.
“We look forward to starting vertical construction and continuing to work closely with the Port to make sure this project is a point of pride for everyone involved,” said CenterPoint Chief Development Officer Michael Murphy.
CenterPoint’s $52 million project would anchor a logistics campus planned for 180 acres at the decommissioned Oakland Army Base. CenterPoint will construct, then manage the first building at the campus. The Port inherited the property 15 years ago and has been planning for its use ever since. CenterPoint said it plans to lease the building to tenants engaged in cargo transportation or logistics.
“We’ve waited a long time to reach this point, but now our future is in view,” said Port of Oakland Maritime Director John Driscoll. “CenterPoint’s facility will give us logistics capability you can’t find at other ports.”
The Port envisions a campus where containerized cargo could be quickly transferred from ships to trucks or rail. It’s expected to increase the volume of international shipments moving through Oakland.
The Seaport Logistics Complex is in the heart of the Port, just off Maritime Street, near Oakland’s Outer Harbor. It’s being developed right next to the Port’s 3-year-old, $100 million rail yard.
CenterPoint said the project would provide sustainable and economic benefits including:
tenant priority for local and disadvantaged hiring;
eliminating truck trips resulting in reduced waste and construction traffic;
implementing measures to enhance future warehouse working life and safety such as enhanced indoor air quality;
allowance for rooftop solar panels;
using environmentally sustainable construction materials and methodologies.