Busch Commerce Center estimated to save nearly one million pounds of CO2
MDH Partners and CF Real Estate Investments today announce the ground breaking of Busch Commerce Center, a 1,215,200-square-foot Class-A bulk industrial facility located in Cartersville, Georgia. Nathan Anderson of NAI Brannen Goddard will handle leasing for the facility. Construction will be completed by January 2023, and is projected to be one of the largest CarbonCure Technologies developments of its kind.
MDH Partners will develop Busch Commerce Center using concrete made with CarbonCure’s technology, which injects captured CO2 into concrete as it is mixed. When injected, the CO2 immediately mineralizes and becomes permanently embedded in the concrete. This mineralization improves the concrete’s compressive strength and allows reductions in cement content and associated carbon emissions. The project is estimated to save 938,364 pounds (425 metric tons) of CO2, which is equivalent to the annual carbon sequestration of 504 acres of trees or the emissions from 1.05 million miles of driving a gas-powered car.
“As one of the first industrial developers to adopt CarbonCure Ready Mix technology, we are proud to break ground on this revolutionary development as we further our sustainable ventures,” said Chris Stanley, Head of Development at MDH Partners. “In line with our ESG policy, we intend to elevate our organization with environmental concern as a top priority, while providing consistent above-market returns to our investors. Once delivered, Busch Commerce Center will provide high visibility in a top-performing industrial market, and be an exceptional facility for a large distribution user.”
Situated on 193 acres, the property is located on the south side of Cassville-Cartersville Road and west of Old Tennessee Highway. Busch Commerce Center will be positioned only two miles west of I-75, which provides direct access to the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, and only one hour south of the new Appalachian Regional Port, which provides direct rail connection with the Port of Savannah. In addition, the area is home to one of the busiest rail corridors in Georgia, including the CSX rail line and Georgia Northeastern rail, and is within a day’s drive of 50% of the country’s population.
“NAI Brannen Goddard is very excited to partner with MDH and CF Real Estate Investments on what we feel will be one of the TOP bulk building opportunities in Atlanta,” said Anderson, President of NAI Brannen Goddard. “Busch Commerce Center checks all the boxes and more for tenant demand including ideal location, robust labor pool and modern building specs.”
Busch Commerce Center will be located in the Northwestern industrial submarket, one of Atlanta’s top-performing industrial submarkets. According to JLL, the Atlanta industrial market continues to see significant growth, with 13 million square feet of space absorbed in the fourth quarter of 2021. This brings the 2021 annual total to a record-shattering 36 million square feet of space absorbed.
“MDH Partners is ahead of the curve in the industrial real estate industry through its comprehensive ESG policy and commitment to reducing embodied carbon. This is CarbonCure’s third project with MDH, and together, we have already saved more than 250 metric tons of carbon dioxide, equivalent to 311 acres of forest absorbing CO2 for a year,” said Christie Gamble, Senior Director of Sustainability at CarbonCure Technologies. “It’s important to recognize that the construction of industrial real estate generates carbon emissions even before the first shipments arrive on site, through the manufacturing of the building materials used to construct these centers. We are thrilled to have an industry leader like MDH Partners who understands these impacts and shares our commitment to sustainability.”
The firm previously delivered Cedar Creek Distribution Center in Nashville, Tennessee in the second quarter of 2021 and Huntersville Distribution Park in Charlotte, North Carolina in the third quarter of 2021, using CarbonCure concrete produced by Irving Materials Inc. (imi) and Thomas Concrete, respectively.
Other ESG implementations for the development of Busch Commerce Center will include maintaining low maintenance and native landscaping, incorporating drip irrigation to maximize water efficiency, utilizing low VOC materials for paints, adhesives, carpet and more, and installing Interface Carbon Neutral Floors for new office space. The roof of Busch Commerce Center will be developed with a green strategy that includes a reflective solar-panel ready roof, clerestory windows to enhance natural light inside the building, skylights, low e-glass windows and LED lights with motion sensors. Once completed, the site will have the capacity for electric vehicle charging and an on-site concrete processing batch plant capable of eliminating 4,600 trucks of concrete.
MDH Partners has remained very active, acquiring nearly five million square feet of industrial assets since last January. The firm recently expanded into new markets, including California, Maryland, Illinois and Pennsylvania, and currently owns over 80 assets across 18 states.
About MDH Partners
MDH Partners is an Atlanta-based real estate investment company managing its discretionary funds targeting industrial real estate across the United States on behalf of its institutional investors. Founded in 2005 as the successor to a fifty-year-old local real estate development company, MDH Partners has led and/or participated in over $6 billion (80 million square feet) of acquisitions, developments, and asset management as an advisor and investor. For more information, visit www.mdhpartners.com.
About CF Partners
CF Real Estate Investments, LLC is a privately funded real estate investment company that acquires and develops commercial real estate in the Southeastern United States. The company’s primary focus is value-add acquisitions, ground-up development and re-development, and source opportunities through our broad market relationships that have been developed over the last thirty-five-plus years.
About CarbonCure Technologies
Architects, structural engineers, owners and developers are seeking proven ways to reduce the embodied carbon of their building projects. CarbonCure Technologies, a fast-growing carbon dioxide removal tech company, has developed easy-to-adopt solutions that enable concrete producers to use captured carbon to produce reliable, low carbon concrete mixes and achieve market differentiation. With more than 550 systems sold, over two million truckloads of CarbonCure mixes have supplied a broad spectrum of sustainable construction projects around the world. CarbonCure’s cutting-edge research and innovation have garnered global recognition and prestigious titles, most notably grand prize winner of the NRG COSIA Carbon XPRIZE, 2020 North American Cleantech Company of the Year and Cleantech 100 Hall of Fame Company. CarbonCure’s investors include Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Amazon, BDC Capital, Pangaea, Microsoft, 2150, Carbon Direct, GreenSoil Investments, Taronga Group and Mitsubishi Corporation.
