Large distribution center under construction in industrial area of Mason District

An illustration of the Capital Distribution Center. [Ridge]

The building at 6885 Commercial Drive in Springfield that was formerly used for printing the Army Times, and later USA Today, has been reduced to a pile of rubble.

Ridge, the industrial development arm of Transwestern Development Co., purchased the 11.3-acre site in December 2017 from Journal Newspapers for $9.5 million and is building a distribution facility on spec.

The former Army Times building has been torn down.

The 190,000-square-foot Capital Distribution Center is expected to be completed in April 2019, says Steve Kros, executive vice president at Ridge.

The building could house one or more tenants, but no more than four, Kros says. It’s designed for “last-mile delivery companies” where goods would be stored before being sent to suppliers or end users. Potential tenants could include e-commerce companies, such as Amazon or Wayfair, logistics companies, or providers of services such as HVAC.

“In the commercial real estate world, industrial been a very hot sector for the past two to four years,” Kros says. No similar project has been built within a 15-mile radius in the past 20 years, “giving this project a clear advantage over the rest of the market.” Its location near interstates 95 and 395 and the beltway is also a plus.

Demolition started last month. [Bryan Woodcock]

It’s a by-right project, meaning no zoning changes are needed. The property is zoned I-6 (heavy industrial).

The rear-load facility will feature a 32-foot clearance height, 64 dock doors, 50 by 43-foot column spacing, 22 trailer parking spaces, 196 car parking spaces, and an “early suppression fast response” fire protection system. Principal Real Estate Investors is financing the project.