Vigavi Realty and JLL today announced the completion and delivery of a 36,000-square-foot design build project at Fairmont Industrial Center, 11802 Fairmont Parkway in La Porte, Texas. HydroTex, a Chicago-based pump systems and engineering services firm, owns and occupies the freestanding manufacturing building.

JLL’s Richard Quarles and Mark Nicholas negotiated the terms of the land sale on behalf of the seller, Vigavi Realty. Lee & Associates’ Preston Yaggi and Stephen Kuper represented HydroTex in the transaction. Architect Terry Kennedy, of Munson Kennedy Partnership, and Vigavi Realty led the project construction.

The asset at Fairmont Industrial Center is indicative of demand in the southeast. As the result of strong levels of activity at Port Houston and the strength of the downstream sector, the submarket has experienced heightened demand for both large distribution facilities and freestanding manufacturing facilities. According to JLL research, the southeast recorded 864,463 square feet of deals signed in the second quarter of 2017 and approximately 2.3 million square feet of positive net absorption year to date. Strong leasing activity continues to drive demand for new product. The submarket’s 1.1 million square feet of deliveries accounted for 93.2 percent of the metro’s industrial completions during the second quarter.

In response to this demand, Vigavi will soon break ground on two speculative buildings at Bay Oaks Business Park, at the corner of Genoa Red Bluff Road and Bay Oaks Drive in Pasadena, Texas. The buildings will be 20,000-square-foot, tilt wall structures with crane capacity. Features will include 26-foot clear heights, overhead doors designed with the ability to be converted to dock high doors, and additional land available for expansion. The buildings are expected to deliver in the first quarter of 2018 and will be marketed by JLL.

“Southeast Houston continues to benefit from its proximity to Port Houston and the nearby petrochemical boom,” said Luis Villarreal, managing director of Vigavi. “We are excited to begin work on these buildings at Bay Oaks Business Park as we see demand from companies looking to locate in and capitalize on the strategic advantages of this submarket.”