Rail-Served and Industrial Park Construction in Haltom City, Texas

Park sites beside Interstate 820 reward developers who commit to a design early, because tenants in this part of Tarrant County choose among finished buildings with clear heights and dock counts already fixed. On April 4, 2022, Scannell Properties broke ground on 820 Crossing, a rear-load project with 62 docks, 335,000 square feet in all and 36 feet of clear height. Anyone planning a competing building should expect tenants to ask for that kind of specification.

City figures for fiscal 2025 show private industrial projects totaling above 700,000 square feet, with Triad 820 (three buildings, 137,000 square feet combined) among them, and more than 1,100 jobs created. Building at that pace says the area is absorbing industrial space, and it says competing developers are working at the same time on the same labor and material supply. We keep budgets current for that reason.

We build rear-load and cross-dock warehouses, multi-tenant industrial and heavy-duty yards. If you are looking at a site near freight rail, we coordinate spur design with the railroad and the civil engineer. For related layouts, see our distribution center page and our developers and REITs page for park-scale planning.

What moves the budget on an infill industrial park

Land in an established area costs more than land in a rural county, so the building has to earn more per square foot, and developers need tight cost control. The big lines are concrete, tilt panels or steel, site utilities and paving. Each is exposed to price swings, so we hold unit-price discussions with partners early and refresh them before the bid.

Infill sites also carry hidden costs: demolition of older structures, utility relocation, contaminated soil testing and traffic control on busy roads. We include allowances for these items in the first estimate and update them as investigation proceeds. Our site utilities package work explains how we price water, sewer, storm and electrical extensions.

The 820 Exchange and its neighbors

The 820 Exchange, a Creation project reported on August 23, 2021, totals about one million square feet in four buildings, each between roughly 139,000 and 426,000 square feet, between Beach Street and Haltom Road just south of Interstate 820. Clear heights range from 30 to 36 feet. Multiple buildings in a range of sizes let a park serve tenants from 100,000 square feet up to 400,000 and beyond.

We use that approach for owners with larger parcels: lay out two to four buildings of different sizes, share the truck court where possible and phase construction so cash goes out gradually. Smaller buildings lease faster in this market, and larger ones bring bigger tenants. A mix of both protects the owner against a slow quarter, and it gives a property manager more ways to keep an existing tenant who needs to grow. We also lay out utilities and drives so one building can be sold or financed separately from the rest of the park.

Permits in an established city

Haltom City reviews site plans, drainage, fire access and building permits. In a developed city, adjacent uses, existing utilities and older drainage systems matter more than on open land. We start with a pre-submittal meeting where possible and bring civil, structural and fire protection drawings in the first package.

Because many industrial parcels adjoin homes or older commercial buildings, screening, lighting and truck routing draw close attention. We design with those items from the start, and we coordinate with the city on haul routes and construction hours. For owners nearby, Fort Worth and Arlington offer different review processes, and we can compare them for a multi-site program.

Safe construction beside busy roads

Interstate 820 is the main east-west link here, with SH 121, SH 183 (NE 28th Street), Highway 26 and Highway 377 all around the city's edges. That is excellent for truck access but demanding for construction logistics, because deliveries and cranes must enter and leave without blocking traffic. We schedule concrete trucks and panel deliveries in windows that avoid peak hours.

Inside the site, we separate pedestrians, equipment and vehicles, inspect excavations daily and maintain written lift plans. Neighbors and drivers on adjacent roads are protected by fencing, dust control and street cleaning, and we keep the entrance clean so mud does not reach public streets.

Delivering an industrial park on a tenant clock

Tenants pay attention to dates. We build a schedule that shows permit, site work, slab, panels, roof, dock equipment, power and turnover, and we mark which items could slip. If one building is pre-leased, we sequence it first and release the rest of the park on a separate timeline.

Long-lead items such as switchgear, overhead doors and levelers are ordered early. In a busy market, material and labor can be tight, so we maintain relationships with several trade partners per scope and track availability. A weekly meeting with each of them keeps small problems from becoming delays. When a tenant asks to move the date forward, we show what it would take in overtime, added crews from the trade partners and early material purchase, so the owner can decide with real numbers.

Labor, employers and site traffic

The city's 2024 financial report names Birdville ISD at 3,103 as its largest employer, followed by Tyson Foods at 800, Medtronic Midas Rex at 350, the city itself at 289 and GST Manufacturing at 220. The mix includes food processing and manufacturing, so there is a workforce used to industrial settings, and a mix of freight that spans refrigerated products and equipment parts.

Industrial users with similar needs may want a building near them, and a cold or food-grade user can look at our cold chain and food work. Employee parking, shift change traffic and transit access should be reviewed on every site, since a building with 100 workers per shift needs more than a few dozen stalls.

Start a Haltom City project

Share the parcel, the building mix and the target tenants. We will send a concept, a budget range and a delivery schedule.

Common Questions

What clear height should an industrial building have here?

The projects nearby use 30 to 36 feet, and tenants expect it. A 36-foot building supports more pallet levels, while 30 feet can serve lighter users. We price both so you can compare.

Can a building have both rear-load and cross-dock doors?

Yes, but it requires a wider site and more truck court. We test the footprint early to see if the site can handle it.

Is rail realistic for an infill site in Haltom City?

Only if a spur can be built or an existing one reused. Rail adds cost and space, so we look at tenant demand before committing.

How do I handle neighbors near the site?

Meet with them early, show screening and lighting plans, and keep trucks off residential streets. We prepare the drawings and haul routes so you can bring them to meetings. Issues raised early can usually be solved with a fence, a lighting change or a revised driveway, while the same issues raised at a hearing can cost months.

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