Summer Issue 2021 - 55

airport
communities
acres [6,500 ha] that we can use for commercial
development, " says senior vice president Ken Cope,
who heads a six-person department dedicated to
that purpose.
The airport's first big project was a 519-room
Westin hotel and conference center that opened in
2015, with a connected transit center that links the
airport to downtown Denver via commuter rail. More
recently, the airport unveiled an ambitious long-term
development plan, created with the help of design
firm Sasaki and other contributors, which envisions
multiple districts on airport land-a 360-acre (145
ha) innovation campus for technology, renewable
energy, and agribusiness companies; a global business
hub with 2.5 million square feet (232,000 sq
m) of hospitality, conference, and office space; a
hotel, restaurant, and services district; and a fourth
district primarily dedicated to entertainment and
retail uses. " Most of that development is focused
upon what is our driveway into the airport, Pena
Boulevard, " Cope says.
The Rise of Logistics
In the meantime, land around the airport is already
undergoing a different sort of transformation, thanks
to the increasing demand for logistics facilities.
" The industrial market is growing gangbusters right
now, " says Tyler Smith, managing director for Cushman
& Wakefield in Denver.
One of the major players is J.A. Green, a development
firm that has built warehouses near airports
in Houston, Seattle, and other cities. The outfit
acquired 250 acres (101 ha) of private land adjacent
to Denver's airport to develop JAG Logistics Center
@ DEN, a four-building complex that will contain 3.5
million square feet (325,000 sq m) of warehouse
space. Dan Green, the company's CEO and co-managing
partner, says that the initial warehouse, which
was completed in 2020, is already fully leased, and
expects that the second building, scheduled for
completion this summer, will be fully leased by the
end of this year.
The buildings are designed for an economy in
which freight must move at increasingly rapid speeds
to keep up with consumers' expectations and market
opportunities. There is a multitude of doors so that
tenants can have access to one for every 1,000
square feet (93 sq m) of rentable space. " We figured
out a long time ago that our customers-especially
the ones focused on air freight, logistics, and e-commerce
distribution-get paid to move freight, not to
store it, " Green explains. " The best way to do that is
by giving them a lot of doors. "
Dallas Fort Worth International Airport
Trammell Crow Company and CBRE Global Investors
have developed Passport Park, a four-building,
2 million-square-foot (186,000 sq m) warehouse
project at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport in
Irving, Texas. Passport Park is designed to accomSUMMER
20 21
URBAN LAND
55
Passport Park, a 2 millionsquare-foot
(186,000 sq
m) warehouse project
at Dallas Fort Worth
International Airport, is
designed to accommodate
both conventional
distribution users and
e-commerce companies.
TRAMMELL CROW COMPANY, CBRE
TRAMMELL CROW COMPANY, CBRE
Summer Issue 2021

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