SkyBridge Arizona and leading general contractor Graycor Construction Company joined today with local dignitaries, Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, business leaders and project leasing firm CBRE to break ground on the first two buildings at SkyBridge Arizona. The major master-planned development will serve as the nation’s first-ever joint U.S. and Mexico inland port and customs processing hub. SkyBridge has selected Graycor for the design-build of the first two buildings.
“This is the first of many great days associated with SkyBridge Arizona,” said Brian O’Neill, executive director, Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport. “The first groundbreaking is always important but we’re going to feel the same way about the second, the third, the fourth, because as we look at our future, it’s directly tied to the success of SkyBridge Arizona.”
Located on 360 acres southwest of the runway at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport in Mesa, Arizona, SkyBridge will use Unified Cargo Processing (UCP) to complete on-site cargo inspection and processing so that shipments between the U.S. and Mexico can be expedited directly to their destinations in Mexico.
“The Phoenix market has welcomed SkyBridge with great excitement and we are equally excited to begin realizing our vision,” said Ariel Picker, President of SkyBridge Arizona. “We have every confidence in Graycor to deliver the first buildings at SkyBridge on time, with great quality and with an execution that underscores their experience building within highly active live environments like Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport.”
“SkyBridge Arizona is a gamechanger for e-commerce between U.S. and Mexico, our largest trade partner,” said City of Mesa Mayor John Giles. “Congratulations to Graycor Construction for being selected to build the first two facilities at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport. These buildings kick off new development at the country’s first joint customs inland port right here in Mesa.”
Graycor will begin construction at SkyBridge with a fully speculative flex industrial building and a new hangar facility. The flex industrial building will total 60,000 square feet suitable for light industrial and warehouse use by one or two occupants. It will feature 24-foot clear height, up to four docks and storefront entries with administrative offices, conference space and break areas.
The aviation hangar will total 82,500 square feet with four bays each totaling approximately 18,000 square feet with approximately 2,500 square feet of administrative and conference space. All bays will have full foam fire suppression systems and the ability to accommodate aircraft as large as a G650 business jet.
“Phoenix has long been known as a logistics hub but SkyBridge will take the Valley to a new level of supply chain opportunity,” said Todd Ostransky, Graycor Construction Company Vice President of the Southwest Division. “We are honored to work alongside SkyBridge and all of the municipalities involved in the evolution of this airport area.”
Architectural firm ADM Group and engineering firm HilgartWilson will serve as Graycor’s design-build partners for SkyBridge. Jackie Orcutt and Pete Wentis of CBRE have been selected as the project’s exclusive leasing brokers.
At build out, SkyBridge is slated to include 2 million square feet of warehouse space, 200,000 square feet of office space, 1.7 million square feet of light industrial, flex and cargo operations and 100,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space. The development is targeting a range of tenants including air cargo, e-commerce, manufacturing and aviation and defense specialists.
“We’re very grateful that you all can be here to experience what the past 18 months have all culminated to be which is what we call Phase Zero of SkyBridge,” said Jackie Orcutt, senior vice president at CBRE. “SkyBridge is inclusive of 360 acres of on airport property and an additional 88 acres of property just outside of the gates. We have over 4 million square feet planned. Phase Zero is made up of two parcels that have clearance for development by the FAA who will be continuing their process to approve the rest of the acreage to be developed, hopefully in the first quarter of next year.”
