Below freezing: Wilmington's port to grow with 280,000 square foot cold storage facility
With promises of below freezing cold temperatures and a more than 280,000 square foot distribution center, an Idaho-based company is moving forward with plans to bring a new refrigerated distribution center to Wilmington's port.
Cold chain real estate developer Cold Summit Development submitted design documents to the city of Wilmington earlier this month for a new 289,209 square foot facility at 187 Raleigh St. in Wilmington — a more than 20-acre site owned by North Carolina State Ports Authority.
The port is leasing the land to Cold Summit Development to build the facility, according to Christina Hallingse, the communications manager for the North Carolina State Ports Authority.
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Cold Summit Development is a cold chain logistics developer focused on "delivering innovative cold storage real estate solutions," according to the company's website. The StarNews reached out to Cold Summit Development to learn more about the project's plans and timeline but did not hear back before publication deadline.
The new facility will be able to hold 40,000 pallets and house products that require refrigeration. That could range from pork, poultry and produce to life sciences materials.
The authority announced its partnership with the firm in an August 2021 press release but recently submitted design documents show details of the facility's layout and other design details.
A 55-foot tall distribution center makes up the bulk of the facility. Plans also show space for a loading dock with areas for semi-trucks to back up to the facility and areas for offices.
Temperatures inside the facility's distribution center will range from minus 20 degrees to 57 degrees Fahrenheit, according to a press release announcing plans for the facility.
“This partnership represents continued investments in our strategy to become a leader in cold chain logistics," Executive Director of the N.C. State Ports Authority Brian Clark wrote in the release.
"We are particularly excited that this announcement gives more options and capacity to North Carolina’s significant and rapidly expanding cold business sectors, including agriculture, food processing, grocery and life sciences.”
The port's partnership with Cold Summit Development also includes a second phase in which the company plans to build 160,000 square feet of refrigerated warehousing space with room for 17,000 pallets. Storage temperatures will range from minus 70 degrees to 57 degrees Fahrenheit.
Plans for the new refrigerated space follow a recent focus on shipping refrigerated cargo through Wilmington. In the last five years, the city's port has seen more than 250% growth in its refrigerated import and export volumes, according to the press release.
“This, in addition to other recent area announcements, demonstrates that this area is an attractive market for cold chain logistics,” wrote the port's Chief Commercial Officer Hans Bean in the release.
Wilmington's port imports chemicals along with products used in the auto and apparel industry, among other things. They export agricultural products and refrigerated cargo
Reporter Emma Dill can be reached at 910-343-2096 or edill@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: New cold storage space coming to Wilmington port
