Feit Electric moving to McDonough, project updates

Here’s a collection of industrial updates from within Henry County. Feit Electric is opening a new distribution center in McDonough, a warehouse sold in Locust Grove, and two proposed projects are seeking rezoning.

Feit Electric

Henry County announced earlier this week Feit Electric is opening its first East Coast distribution center in McDonough. The California-based company plans to hire 120 people at the facility.

Crow Holdings Industrial completed the 268,940 square foot building in February 2021. The property is accessible from either Liberty Industrial or Greenwood Industrial. Its physical address is 255 Declaration Drive.

Feit Electric is a leading lighting and smart home brand found in major retailers such as The Home Depot, Lowe’s and Ace Hardware. An early pioneer in energy-efficient lighting, Feit Electric was one of the first to bring compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) and LED technologies to market.

Proximity to Savannah

The company selected McDonough to maximize its position compared to the Port of Savannah. They plan to utilize Georgia’s port system and ship 5,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) through the port annually.

Despite the pandemic, the Port of Savannah continues to see record volumes. In 2020, the port moved more than 4.68 million TEUs, a 1.8% increase over 2019. Expansion plans are concurrently underway to support the growing volume. This week, the Georgia Ports Authority approved $205 million dollars worth of capital improvements. The projects will increase the port’s container capacity by twenty percent.

Construction also continues on a new container port on Hutchinson Island. The 200-acre project is part of ambitious plans to double the port’s annual capacity between 2019 and 2030.

Portions of this section copied from the development authority press release.

Locust Grove Building Sale

Granite Real Estate Investment Trust has acquired a 1 million square foot industrial facility in Locust Grove for roughly $68.5 million. The building — leased to Radial, Inc. — was completed in 2019.

Recently, Monmouth Real Estate bought the adjacent building for $96.7 million. The two buildings comprise phase I of Gardner Logistics Park. Scannell Properties was the developer for both buildings off highway 42.

Colvin Drive rezoning request

Scannell Properties has submitted a new rezoning request off Colvin Drive in Locust Grove. The city annexed the 95-acre property in December 2018.

Plans for a warehouse on the property first emerged when landowners applied for annexation. Henry County filed an objection to the proposed land use, but the county could only delay the request. Now, the city council will consider a similar proposal to three years ago.

If the council approves the rezoning, then the applicant plans to build a 1.3 million square foot building. The public hearing for the request is scheduled on Monday, April 19. The city council generally votes on rezoning requests two weeks after the public hearing.

Speedway Commerce Center

The Hampton city council has a called meeting on Wednesday, April 7, to discuss the Speedway Commerce Center rezoning request. Altogether, the project proposes over five million square feet of industrial space.

Because of the project’s size, it required a development of regional impact (DRI) review. The Atlanta Regional Commission completed their review on March 2. The ARC final report is viewable on their website (PDF link – 25 pages). The 50 page traffic impact study is also available (PDF link).

Information how to view the 6 pm council meeting is on the city website. The council must consider the second reading of the rezoning at a future meeting. They previously adopted the first reading in December.

Featured image shows aerial rendering of the Declaration Logistics Center. Photo credit to Crow Holdings Industrial and Strategic Real Estate Partners, LLC.