Local community leaders and state representatives recently celebrated the groundbreaking of the Georgia International Trade Center (GITC); the newest Class A, rail-served industrial park in the Savannah region. The 1,150 acre park is located within 10 miles of the Georgia Ports Authority’s Garden City Terminal on GA Highway 21, just inside the Effingham County border. At build-out, the logistics campus will feature up to 7.2 million-square-feet (msf) of light industrial and manufacturing warehouse space, with the Phase I infrastructure and the first two speculative buildings to be delivered in 2Q of 2020.

The development team of Chesterfield, Stonemont Financial Group and Savannah-based commercial real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield | Gilbert & Ezelle were on site to celebrate the official groundbreaking. The development will support the continued explosive growth in import, export, and e-commerce shipping activity through the Georgia ports. The result of decades of strategic planning by the Georgia Ports Authority and the expansion of the Panama Canal, the Georgia ports have become some of the busiest in the nation, ranking behind only the Los Angeles, Long Beach, and New York/New Jersey facilities.

“The Georgia Ports Authority needs warehouse space and with a vacancy rate hovering at less than 1%, the time is right for this project,” says Chesterfield Senior Vice-President of Development Chance Raehn. “Chesterfield and Stonemont are so humbled and appreciative to be a part of this enormous economic impact for Effingham County, GPA and the entire Savannah region. Depending on the tenants in our park, this project could generate up to 3,000 jobs for our community.”

With efficient proximity to Savannah ports, the Georgia International Trade Center provides direct access to I-95 and the I-16 corridors, as well as CSX rail. The campus will offer multiple built-to-suit options for tenants, ranging from 155,000 to 1,265,000 MSF.
Brandt Herndon, CEO of the Effingham County Industrial Development Authority adds, “We are truly excited for our friends and partners at Chesterfield and Stonemont Financial Group. It is great to see months and years of planning and hard work come to fruition, and we look forward to working together to make the Georgia International Trade Center a huge success.”

The first buildings are expected to be completed in March 2020, consisting of two Class A speculative warehouses:

• Building 1A will be a 419,660 square-foot Class A cross-dock industrial facility with a 36’ clear-height
• Building 1B will be a 154,550 square-foot Class A rear-load industrial facility with a 32’ clear-height

“Our timing for delivery of the first two spec. buildings early next year will fill a void in the market as the majority of the product currently under construction will deliver and lease up by year-end,” said Stephen Ezelle, SIOR, CCIM, Partner with Cushman & Wakefield | Gilbert & Ezelle. “The early interest we have already received is a testament to the strategic location of the property and strength of the development group. Our total warehouse inventory in Savannah by year-end 2019 will be 70 MSF with a vacancy well below 2%, so this new construction at GITC will help meet an important need for the local and regional economy.”