August brought several meaningful wins for Right Space Commercial across Alabama, but what made the month especially notable was how different each assignment was.
A large Northport warehouse moved under contract for sale. A specialized industrial property in Phenix City found a tenant. And at Northview Plaza, an upcoming vacancy was leased before the space ever had to be publicly marketed.
Together, the three deals show an important part of commercial real estate that does not always make it into a listing announcement: getting a property leased or sold often requires a different strategy for every space.
3160 McFarland Blvd: 49,000 SF Warehouse Under Contract
One of the largest properties in our current Northport inventory took a major step forward in August when 3160 McFarland Blvd went under contract for sale.
The property includes a 49,000 SF industrial building on approximately 3.6 acres along the Highway 82/McFarland Boulevard corridor. Formerly occupied by the West Alabama Food Bank, it includes approximately 46,200 SF of warehouse space, 2,800 SF of office space, six dock-high doors, a drive-in door and a fenced yard area.
What made the assignment interesting was the range of potential paths for the building.
Rather than marketing it only as a 49,000 SF purchase opportunity, we also positioned the property for lease and created configurations that could divide the building into approximately 10,000 SF, 24,000 SF and 15,000 SF warehouse spaces. That allowed us to reach businesses looking for anything from a smaller industrial suite to a full-building opportunity.
Ultimately, the property attracted a buyer and is now under contract.
For a building of this size, the goal is not simply to generate as many inquiries as possible. It is to put the property in front of users and buyers who can realistically make the space work, while keeping multiple paths to a transaction open.
800 Industrial Circle: Finding the Right User in Phenix City
Another significant August win came more than 150 miles away from our Tuscaloosa office.
800 Industrial Circle in Phenix City was leased.
The 5,600 SF freestanding warehouse and office property sits on approximately 0.98 acres and includes 13 grade-level roll-up doors, an open warehouse area and renovated office and support space. Its configuration made it different from a conventional warehouse and better suited to a specific group of service, contractor, storage, distribution or light industrial users.
Its location added another layer to the assignment. The property sits within an established industrial area with access to US-280/431 and nearby Columbus, Georgia, meaning the potential tenant pool extended beyond Phenix City itself.
This was an especially rewarding lease for our team because it required persistence.
Some commercial properties have an obvious audience and begin generating activity quickly. Others require more time to identify the user whose operational needs line up with an unconventional building. For 800 Industrial Circle, continuing to market the property's functionality and staying in front of potential industrial users eventually produced the result the property needed.
Northview Plaza Unit 10: 1,500 SF Leased Before It Hit the Market
Sometimes the strongest leasing result is the vacancy that never really becomes a vacancy.
In August, Unit 10 at Northview Plaza was leased before it was publicly brought to market.
The 1,500 SF suite is part of Northview Plaza, a 15,000 SF neighborhood retail center along McFarland Boulevard/Highway 82 in Northport. The center has strong corridor visibility, shared parking and a mix of retail and service businesses.
When we learned Unit 10 would be becoming available, we were able to begin working on the space before launching a traditional public marketing campaign. A new tenant was secured before the unit needed to be advertised.
For the property owner, that is an ideal leasing outcome.
Every month a suite sits vacant represents lost rental income while expenses associated with the property continue. Reducing or eliminating that downtime can therefore be just as important as the rental rate itself.
It is also one of the advantages of actively leasing and managing a commercial property over time. When we know the property, understand its tenant mix and stay in contact with businesses looking for space, an upcoming vacancy does not always have to start from zero.
Different Properties Require Different Strategies
These three August transactions involved very different properties.
One was a 49,000 SF warehouse sale in Northport. One was a specialized 5,600 SF industrial lease in Phenix City. One was a retail-center suite that never needed to reach the open market.
There was no single marketing tactic responsible for all three.
At 3160 McFarland Blvd, creating multiple ways to occupy or acquire the building broadened the opportunity. At 800 Industrial Circle, the challenge was continuing to reach the narrower group of businesses that could take advantage of its unusual configuration. At Northview Plaza, knowledge of an upcoming vacancy and an active leasing pipeline helped us connect the space with a tenant before public marketing was necessary.
That is ultimately what we want our leasing and sales work to accomplish: understand the property, identify the realistic market for it and find the path that gives the owner the best opportunity to move forward.
Have a Commercial Property You Need to Lease or Sell?
Right Space Commercial works with commercial property owners throughout Alabama on leasing, sales and property management.
Whether you have a vacant warehouse, an upcoming retail or office vacancy, or a property you are considering selling, our team can help evaluate the opportunity and build a strategy around the property itself.
