Phenix Commerce Center lands first tenant

Global e-commerce fulfillment, warehousing and logistics provider Cirro Global will be the first tenant to move into Phenix Commerce Center in Hampton.

Cirro, also known as US Elogistics Services, is leasing 149,685 square feet in one of the two warehouses at 30 Aberdeen Road. According to a Thursday news release, the transaction marks the largest warehouse lease in the Hampton Roads region for a newly constructed Class A facility in over a year.

“The City of Hampton is excited to welcome US Elogistics Services Corp. as the first tenant in the new Phenix Commerce Center,” Mayor Jimmy Gray said in a statement. “Hampton’s world-class workforce, proximity to the Port of Virginia, and transportation infrastructure are essential ingredients for the success of this project in addition to the new industrial space that the company will occupy. We look forward to US Elogistics Services Corp.’s long-term success in Hampton.”

Kansas City, Missouri-based NorthPoint Development broke ground on the two-building, 840,000-square-foot industrial park in November 2023 and wrapped up construction in January. The site has a 540,470-square-foot warehouse, Building 1, and the almost 300,000-square-foot warehouse that Cirro will be occupying, Building 2.

NorthPoint built the $113.8 million project on the former site of the Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind and Multi-Disabled, a state facility that closed in 2008.

Hampton City Council’s 2022 vote to allow NorthPoint to transform the former school’s 63-acre site into industrial warehouses was controversial, with critics contending it was an inappropriate way to honor the school’s legacy and fearing the project would bring noise and traffic. But Hampton officials at the time cited local tax revenue that would be generated as well as the developer’s estimated creation of 250 jobs as beneficial aspects to the project.

NorthPoint declined to disclose the financial terms of the lease. NorthPoint spokesperson Natasha Rickel said that Cirro plans to move to the site this summer. Cirro did not immediately return requests for comment seeking more information about what it plans to do with the leased space.

Cirro has more than 80 fulfillment centers in over 30 countries. It provides cross-border and domestic shipping as well as e-commerce services. Its North American headquarters is located in Monroe Township, New Jersey.

NorthPoint does not yet know what companies will lease the remainder of the Phenix center.

“Our brokerage team, Colliers, has been fielding inquiries and showing the available space to other potential tenants,” Rickel said in an email. “I can’t speak to any specific move-in dates because we don’t have any signed lease agreements quite yet, but we are actively showing the space.”

NorthPoint believes the proximity to the Port of Virginia will be attractive for potential tenants that may find Hampton a good fit for their business needs.

“The Port of Virginia welcomes Cirro to its new facility in Hampton,” said Virginia Port Authority CEO Stephen Edwards in a statement. “This strategic location will help Cirro capitalize on the efficiency, growth and global reach of America’s most modern gateway, The Port of Virginia. We look forward to supporting this opportunity.”