IOWA & NEBRASKA INTERNATIONAL PAPER TO BUILD $260 MILLION CORRUGATED BOX PLANT house, pool, dog park, playground, sports simulator and bocce court. The property will be operated by Stark Living, the residential management arm of Stark Enterprises. Stark’s con-struction arm, Arbor Construction, is slated to complete the project in sum-mer 2027. Stark has now expanded into its ninth state overall and third state within its build-to-rent platform. WATERLOO, IOWA — International Paper (IP) is building a new corru-gated box plant in Waterloo that will replace its existing facility in the city. The project represents a $260 million investment and is expected to create more than 85 additional jobs for a to-tal of 210 employees. According to the City of Waterloo, the project marks the largest box plant in the U.S. Construc-tion was slated to begin this spring. Operations at the plant are expected to commence in the fourth quarter of 2026. Approximately 130 full-time jobs will be created during construc-tion. IP is currently under contract with the city for the purchase of the land. The project team includes Miller Valentine Construction and Andrew Churchill Architect PC. $31 MILLION SANDHILLS GLOBAL YOUTH COMPLEX OPENS IN LINCOLN WarHorse Casino in Omaha features 1,300 slots and 20 table games. KRAUS-ANDERSON COMPLETES CONSTRUCTION OF $127.6 MILLION WARHORSE CASINO OMAHA, NEB. — Kraus-Anderson (KA) has completed construction of the WarHorse Casino, a $127.6 mil-lion gaming facility located at 6303 Q St. in Omaha. WarHorse Gaming LLC, which will manage and operate the expansion of casino gaming, is a division of Ho-Chunk Inc., the eco-nomic development corporation of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska. I-5 Design was the architect. KA complet-ed construction in two phases. The first phase included a 46,376-square-foot remodel of the existing building and a 247,529-square-foot, four-story parking garage. Phase II includes a 63,365-square-foot, two-story expan-sion and sky bridge connecting the casino and parking garage. A grand opening took place Thursday, May 8. The casino features approximately 1,300 slots and 20 table games, of which more than 800 were included in the first phase. Lockwood, and the fourth Primrose School within the Omaha metro area. The Elkhorn facility will feature class-rooms, outdoor play areas and learn-ing spaces designed to foster early childhood development. The school, which is slated to open in November, is locally owned and operated by Cole and Katie Stichler. STARK ENTERPRISES BEGINS DEVELOPMENT OF 244-UNIT BUILD-TO-RENT COMMUNITY LOCKWOOD CONSTRUCTION BREAKS GROUND ON 13,598 SF PRIMROSE SCHOOL OF ELKHORN ELKHORN, NEB. — Lockwood Con-struction has broken ground on Prim-rose School’s new location in Elkhorn. The 13,598-square-foot project marks the third Primrose School built by GRETNA, NEB. — Stark Enterprises, in partnership with Stark Living and Arbor Construction, has received con-struction financing for its latest build-to-rent development, Teal Ridge Vil-lage in Gretna near Omaha. Stark Enterprises will now break ground on the project, which will include 244 homes on a 43.7-acre site. Amenities will include a fitness center, club-LINCOLN, NEB. — The Sandhills Global Youth Complex, a $31 million youth sports complex, has opened in Lincoln. The all-turfed complex will host local, regional and national base-ball and softball tournaments and is home to Nebraska Wesleyan Univer-sity’s baseball and softball games. The facility will also provide local youth baseball and softball instruction and programming and will serve as the home of Homer’s Heroes, a division of Lincoln Youth Baseball for boys and girls with physical and intellectual disabilities. The project is estimated to produce upwards of $15 million to $20 million in economic impact for the Lincoln community. The complex is made possible through a public-private effort that includes the City of Lincoln, Lancaster County, West Hay-market JPA and a number of private sector funders. The project is situated near the Haymarket District, Lincoln’s hotel and entertainment epicenter. QUESTION OF THE MONTH What are the most important features being incorporated in today’s modern industrial developments? Kevin Scott Senior Vice President, Partner, CRG Modern industrial developments must combine strategic location, operational flexibility and state-of-the-art design to meet today’s tenant demands. We’re focused on develop-ment plans that accommodate growth and change — as demonstrated by our 198-acre Cubes at Sparta Pike outside Nashville, which features four state-of-the-art buildings for users ranging from 250,000 to 1.4 million square feet. The Cubes at Sparta Pike is being de-veloped in partnership with PGIM Real Estate and marketed for lease by Lee & Associates. Each building offers a clear height of 40 feet, deep truck courts, abundant trailer parking and immedi-ate interstate and rail access, ensuring tenants can operate with maximum ef-ficiency and flexibility from day one. Alex Vulic Vice President of Real Estate Development, Opus The most impor-tant building attri-bute remains loca-tion. Users continue to prioritize proxim-ity to a strong labor force, and continued growth of digital commerce is leading them to prioritize proximity to their customers as well. We’re seeing increased interest in flexible industrial developments that can support both fulfillment and dis-tribution for omnichannel retailers. Specific design features that provide this flexibility relate to providing effi-cient traffic flow and parking for em-ployees and inbound and outbound trucks and trailers. Cam Duff Director of Development, Scannell Properties Electricity is a big driver for indus-trial developments today. The need for power is important, as we continue to see more manufacturing requirements and also less capacity in the electric grid. Industrial developments are always competing with data centers for pow-er, so it’s important that a developer can guarantee electrical capacity for the development. Robert Smietana President, CEO, HSA Commercial Real Estate Many industrial developers are pri-oritizing strategic locations near major transportation hubs to enable same-day access to large population centers. Clear heights of 36 to 40 feet are now the minimum for e-commerce and high-volume distribution, supporting greater racking capacity and automation. Tenants also value expandable truck docks, multiple drive-in doors, ample trailer and car parking, and high-vis-ibility sites. These features address evolving supply chain demands and enhance overall efficiency. Flexible building designs are essen-tial to accommodate a wider range of users with varying operational needs. Responding to growing demand from small and mid-size users, HSA Com-mercial Real Estate is co-developing a pair of new small-bay warehouses on an infill site just minutes west of downtown Chicago. Each of the prop-erties will total 35,000 square feet. 10 • June 2025 • Heartland Real Estate Business www.REBusinessOnline.com
Heartland Real Estate Business June 2025: 10
