Miller Delivers Miami-Dade County’s Largest Industrial Project
Delivering Miami-Dade County’s largest new industrial project on a fast-track schedule, Miller Construction Company has completed the 602,657-square-foot second phase of Centergate at Gratigny business park in Hialeah.
The massive project demanded quick, creative solutions — from accessing utilities, to tilting up 28,000 yards of concrete in just three months. Miller Construction Company drew on its experience building more than 5 million square feet of industrial space to deliver the $25 million project on schedule and on budget, despite extreme timing challenges, according to Miller Sr. Vice President Brian Sudduth.
Developed by multi-city development firm Foundry Commercial for an institutional client, the twin-building, Class A complex in the Airport North submarket targets users seeking at least 100,000 square feet of contiguous industrial space.
A significant challenge for the design and construction team was getting utilities to the +30 acre site. Taking an unconventional approach after careful cost analysis, they succeeded in saving the owner time and money by building a private lift station instead of tying into the existing sewer lines. The team also worked closely with the Public Works Department to quickly solve flow issues from the City’s water main serving the site.
Innovative scheduling proved essential to speed the tilt-wall concrete process for both quarter-mile-long buildings. Miller’s crews placed concrete six days a week – including 75 night pours. “Tilting both buildings at the same time made sense to save labor costs, so it was as though the two buildings raced each other to the end, with a 330-ton Crawler crane switching buildings each morning,” explained Sudduth. That tactic enabled the team to begin roofing at one end of the massive buildings while still pouring concrete at the other end.
“Miller’s team knows how to tackle tough challenges, perform and deliver,” said Ford Gibson, Foundry Commercial’s South Florida managing director, development and investments. “Their decades-long track record handling Class A industrial projects for top-tier clients made them the clear choice.” This was Miller Construction Company’s 6th South Florida project for veteran developer Gibson, who has partnered with the design/build and construction services company on award-winning mixed-use, office, retail and industrial complexes.
Designed by RLC Architects of Boca Raton, the twin, 301,000-square-foot structures in Centergate at Gratigny’s new phase provide 32-foot clear height and 54-foot column spacing for efficient racking, and a 185-foot truck court plus 60-foot speed bay. Fairchild Partners is handling leasing of the development, which includes corporate-caliber office space, security-controlled access for all bays and fully air-conditioned mezzanine.
Launched to meet eastern Miami-Dade County’s demand for upscale, next-generation industrial space, Centergate at Gratigny’s latest phase is adjacent to the CSX rail line and strategically positioned at the southeast intersection of the Gratigny Parkway (SR924) and LeJeune Road (NW 42nd Avenue), offering direct access to business, commercial and residential destinations.