Why Pearland’s Lower Kirby District Is A Prime Location For Houston’s Growing Industrial Base

Houston is continuing to see tremendous growth thanks to its strong economy, increasing population and dynamic employment opportunities in industries like life sciences, energy and manufacturing. 

One area driving Houston’s growth is Pearland, a local suburb that is the third fastest-growing city in the region. A key component of the city's success is the Lower Kirby District, a 1,200-acre mixed-use development in the northwest section of Pearland with a strategic location, strong business community and a variety of businesses.

Pearland Economic Development Corp. has played a major role in the growth of the Lower Kirby district and looks to bring more than 1M SF of additional warehouse, manufacturing and distribution space to the region. 

“Lower Kirby is not only a great place for businesses to headquarter, but it's a driver for economic empowerment in the community of Pearland,” PEDC President Matt Buchanan said.   

One of the partnerships that PEDC has forged in Lower Kirby is with Houston-based real estate firm Levey Group. In May, the company broke ground on Levey Logistics Park, a Class-A, 660K SF industrial business park in Pearland. 

PEDC and Levey entered a public-private partnership in 2022 to help improve infrastructure and mobility in the area. Buchanan let Levey founder and President David Ebro know about this 38-acre land opportunity and educated him on Lower Kirby District’s guidelines to help him make a more informed decision before he purchased it.

“We knew that there were going to be significant limitations and restrictions on what we could do with the property, which discouraged many developers before us,” Ebro said.

“Matt Buchanan and PEDC Senior Development Manager Valerie Marvin from PEDC communicated to us early and clearly what could be done, which helped us develop a plan that satisfied their requirements and made sense for us.”

Ebro said the PEDC, city of Pearland and Lower Kirby Management District were instrumental in the design process and in fulfilling the region’s guidelines. They expedited the steps of getting dirt to fill the site, installing a public road called Levey Lane to connect to Beltway 8 and even helping the company find tenants for its massive industrial space.

When completed, Levey Logistics Park will feature a reflective white roof system, low energy transmission windows, LED lights, electric vehicle charging stations and abundant trailer parking, Ebro said.

Although things are currently going as planned, Ebro said the project had a bumpy start.

Back in early 2023, Levey knew rising interest rates would stifle construction of new industrial spaces. Ebro also said that Levey had to work closely with geotechnical and structural engineers because the tract for the logistics park was previously a sand mine that was already filled. In addition, the company needed a sanitary sewer line extended to the property, and this required a development agreement with the city of Pearland and its EDC. 

But it was worth the effort, he said.

“Despite all of the groundwork needed to get things up and running, Houston’s strong fundamentals and user demand in industrial spaces made this land attractive for us,” Ebro said.

Ebro noticed the potential of the Lower Kirby District thanks to its early success as a hub for medical technology and high-end manufacturing before construction began on Levey Logistics Park. Now, the area is more attractive and economically feasible for companies to make the region a home because of distribution and warehousing spaces with quality amenities, local incentives, security and Pearland’s high standards for construction and design, he said. 

Ebro said he believes this development will have a major impact not only in Lower Kirby but also in facilitating the transport of goods for the Port of Houston, with distribution locally, regionally and nationally. 

“Levey Logistics Park employs workers through the construction of this massive project that is more than 15 acres of building and gives ongoing employment within the development on all levels, including workers, managers and directors,” he said. “Also, it contributes significantly to the tax base for the city of Pearland.”

Levey Logistics Park is not the only exciting new project in the Lower Kirby district. Buchanan said the outlook is great for other big local developments as well. 

One property is a recently completed Class-A distribution building spanning 216K SF on a 12-acre site at 11550 N Spectrum Blvd. A Chicago-based private real estate investment firm acquired the property in 2022, and Buchanan said PEDC was instrumental in setting up the infrastructure for the build-out as well as obtaining city approvals. 

Buchanan said other proposed projects include a 128K SF distribution building at Beltway 8 and Hooper Road from Houston-based developer Adkisson Group. Meanwhile, Dallas-based Stream Realty Partners is planning a 384K SF distribution project at the corner of Kirby Drive and North Spectrum Boulevard. 

Buchanan is excited to see what's in the pipeline for Pearland’s premier mixed-use development.

“As Pearland grows and expands at a rapid rate, districts like Lower Kirby will be critical to help it innovate with new developments and turn it into a major industrial hub in the greater Houston region,” he said.

This article was produced in collaboration between the Pearland Economic Development Corp. and Studio B. Bisnow news staff was not involved in the production of this content.

Studio B is Bisnow’s in-house content and design studio. To learn more about how Studio B can help your team, reach out to studio@bisnow.com.