Two Kettering buildings that are approximately 200,000 square feet each, and once part of the Gentile Air Force Station, are being converted into light industrial and office space for Industrial Commercial Properties (ICP).
The construction work on the former U.S. Air Force Installation that closed in 1996 is being carried out by Miller Valentine Construction.
The two buildings within the Kettering Business Park are surrounded by nearly 2,000 parking stalls with core features of a typical manufacturing building, such as heavy floors and wide columns. The buildings will be transformed into flex buildings. The buildings will feature few truck docks to support some manufacturing users while boasting a clean white office front.
Demolition work has been completed to the west building of the two, with hopes of being move-in ready by the second quarter of 2023, said Dean Miller, senior vice president, leasing and acquisitions, for ICP.
With no tenant deals to announce yet, Miller said he has gained intentional interest from some unique companies.
While there has been an “interesting mix” of interested tenants, Miller said he has received inquiries of larger companies than he expected. Miller said he’s willing to break the space into 30,000 to 50,000 square feet of space all the way up to possibly 150,000 square feet of space per company.
While ICP, a Solon, Ohio-based real estate developer, makes headway on the former Synchrony Financial building at 950 Forrer Blvd., they’re also making advancements in their investment at the Miami Valley Research Park in Kettering, while they own a cluster of five buildings.
“There’s nothing more credible than saying ‘we’re here too, come join us’,” Miller said on ICP’s investments in the Miami Valley Research Park, where their won office is amongst the five buildings they own.
The Air Force has signed a lease for two of ICP’s buildings in the Research Park totaling 155,000 square feet. Miller said the deal, which will have capacity for around900 people, will be complete toward the end of 2022.
This deal further excited ICP for the future potential of luring in defense contractors to align themselves within close proximity to the Air Force and even potentially within the park, Miller said.
“That’s going to bring the park to life,” Miller said of the incoming Air Force’s presence.
With all his praise for the beauty of the Research Park, Miller also sees areas for improvement, saying the park is “pretty, bot one dimensional – it’s (an) eight-to-five work environments only.”
With that thought in mind came the deal with the city of Kettering to bring roughly 300 residential units to the park to create an “upscale live/work environment.
Furthermore, ICP hopes to bring an additional component to the park of commercial elements, Miller said. he’s having conversations with the Kettering Parks & Recreation for public spaces such as trail connectivity within the park.
While these are a few of the ideas ICP has on paper, to date they have redone the lobbies of their buildings, redone most of the park’s sidewalks and are currently redoing the park’s lighting.