By Riley McKee, Advisor, NAI Maestas & Ward If summarized in one word, New Mexico’s industrial real estate market can best be described as undersupplied. Steady increases in demand, combined with a dearth of new construction, have resulted in record-low vacancy rates in Albuquerque, Las Cruces and Santa Fe – the state’s primary metropolitan areas. A string of noteworthy projects are underway in Albuquerque. Food products supplier Ben E. Keith Foods is building a 260,000-square-foot regional headquarters and distribution center to service markets throughout the region. FedEx Freight recently opened a 95,000-square-foot distribution center strategically positioned on a 50-acre site to expedite planned expansions. Brunacini Development, the city’s largest industrial landlord, just completed a 140,000-square-foot multi-tenant distribution center anchored by Bunzl, a London-based food packaging distributor. Finally, and perhaps most notably, nuclear energy firm Kairos Power acquired an 110,000-square-foot research and development facility after a nationwide site selection process. It plans to expand the facility, which sits on 35 acres, as part of an incentive package with the state. Las Cruces is seeing strong development activity as well, specifically in Santa Teresa, an international Port of Entry that sits 21 miles south of the city. W. Silver Recycling, which processes …
