Tampa-based developer Harrod Properties has purchased 85 acres of land in Lakewood Ranch in east Manatee County for $3.5 million. The developer is planning to build a 700,000 sqf, $50 million distribution center called Lakewood Ranch Corporate Center on a speculative basis. The bulk industrial space, which will feature 30-foot clear ceiling heights, will be the first of its kind in the master-planned Lakewood Ranch. Harrod is expected to break ground on the first of the buildings early next year.
“They have a lot of flexibility with their product type, so for instance they could put buildings together to accommodate larger deals,” says Steve Horn, a partner with Sarasota commercial brokerage Ian Black Real Estate, who represented Harrod in negotiations with Lakewood Ranch owner Schroeder-Manatee Ranch Inc. “It’s a great deal for Lakewood Ranch, and will add to having an even more well-rounded economy there where people truly can work, live and play.”
