FedEx Ground takes spot at former Maryland steel plant property

FedEx Ground will locate a new 300,000-square-foot distribution facility at the site of the former Bethlehem Steel plant at Sparrows Point near Baltimore city.    FedEx Ground will locate a new 300,000-square-foot distribution facility at the site of the former Bethlehem Steel plant at Sparrows Point near Baltimore city.
   The facility, which is expected to open in August 2017, will have about 150 employees and service the carrier’s growing business in the Baltimore area.
   The Sparrows Point property has undergone a significant transformation since steel production ended there in 2012. In 2014, Tradepoint Atlantic (formerly Sparrows Point Terminal LLC), a joint venture of Redwood Capital Investments and Hilco Real Estate, acquired the 3,100-acre Sparrows Point site at auction and has since removed the former steel plant structures to redevelop the property into a transportation, manufacturing and logistics hub.
   “FedEx is the first of many global companies that will set up operations at the new tri-modal port facility at Tradepoint Atlantic. Having such a prestigious tenant sign a long-term lease at the site demonstrates the economic impact Tradepoint Atlantic will have for the region,” said Michael Moore, chief executive officer of Tradepoint Atlantic, in an official announcement on Wednesday.
   The FedEx Ground facility is being built on 50 acres leased to Scannell Properties, which is developing the distribution facility for FedEx.
   Tradepoint Atlantic has touted the former steel plant property’s many freight transportation and logistics attributes, including a deepwater port that includes a turning basin and 1,150 feet of pier for heavy commodities, a short line railroad which serves the entire property and incorporates 100 miles of track connecting to CSX and Norfolk Southern, immediate access to Interstate 695 which connects to interstates 95 and 70, and close proximity to Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport. 
   “We believe that Tradepoint Atlantic and its resources will be an incredible asset for any company seeking unparalleled access to available land, deepwater ports, rail and highways,” said Mark Levy, managing director at JLL, the exclusive real estate services provider for Tradepoint Atlantic.
   For more details about the history of the Sparrows Point property and Tradepoint Atlantic’s overall plans for the developing the site, read the October 2015 American Shipper feature, “Recast for logistics.”