BETHLEHEM, PA. — Malvern, Pa.-based Liberty Property Trust has started construction on a $62 million, 1.2 million-square-foot, speculative, sustainable warehouse, located in Lehigh Valley Industrial Park at the crossroads of Route 412 and Commerce Center Boulevard in Bethlehem. The property is a brownfield redevelopment project, and will add more than 300 construction jobs to the area.
Through the inclusion of wall insulation, roof insulation, high output T-5 lighting with motion sensors and more, Liberty anticipates the property will achieve LEED Core & Sheel and Energy Star certifications.
“As we work with tenants looking to expand or relocate in the Lehigh Valley, two themes keep repeating,” said Bob Kiel, senior vice president of Liberty Property Trust, in a statement. “First, there are not enough large warehouse spaces available in the region. This project is very exciting because it creates that needed space while redeveloping an existing brownfield site. Second, it replaces that site with a highly efficient LEED and Energy Star certified location that will save the eventual tenants 35 percent or more in energy costs when compared with traditional buildings — real operational savings prospects are seeking.”
Liberty Property Trust owns and manages more than 17 million square feet of office, flex and industrial space in the Lehigh Valley and in the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and Hagerstown, Maryland, areas.