RL Cold, BGO Break Ground on Philly-Area Cold Storage Facility

The joint venture of RealtyLink LLC division RL Cold and BentallGreenOak has broken ground on a 215,766-square-foot speculative cold storage warehouse in Mount Laurel, N.J. Greek Design|Build, of East Brunswick, N.J., serves as general contractor. Completion is expected in the second half of next year, according to TAPinto.

Aiming to achieve a LEED certification, the facility will use a modern CO₂ refrigeration system and have the ability to accommodate temperatures ranging from –10 degrees Fahrenheit to 55 degrees Fahrenheit, with four variable-temperature compartments. Other features are to include a dedicated USDA inspection area, 27 dock positions outfitted with a sanitary dock pit, vertical dock levelers and vehicle truck restraints, as well as a 5,000-square-foot storage mezzanine.

The warehouse rises at 907 Pleasant Valley Ave. on a 12-acre site of a former office building, NJBIZ reported. The location is just off Interstate 295 and roughly 13 miles from downtown Philadelphia.

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In May, RL Cold broke ground on a 292,000-square-foot design-build cold storage facility in Lakeville, Minn., near Minneapolis. Ware Malcomb provided design services and Graycor Construction Co. is the general contractor. Delivery is expected next spring.

A significant factor behind demand for temperature-controlled storage facilities is a surge in online grocery sales, according to a recent report from Marcus & Millichap.

Over the 2019–2023 period, online’s share of total grocery shopping grew to a record high of more than 16 percent, which is expected to rise even further. Beyond that, exports of U.S. agricultural products are an additional factor in the sector’s expansion.