Large distribution center proposed for Caledonia business park

A proposal for a 1 million-square-foot distribution center, similar in scale to Amazon's Kenosha facility, is pending in Racine County.

The huge distribution center would be developed at the new DeBack Farms Business Park in Caledonia, said Bob Bradley, village president.

The business park is near the northeast corner of I-94 and Highway K.

Bradley said he doesn’t know the name of the distribution center's prospective tenant.

He said the building wouldn't be connected to Foxconn Technology Group. That Taiwanese company is considering Wisconsin as a possible location for a large television panel manufacturing complex.

Bradley spoke briefly about the possible project after the Caledonia Village Board met in a closed session Monday night. 

That session was closed to discuss "a potential future development project in the village," according to the meeting's agenda.

State law allows local governments to discuss real estate negotiations, including possible financing help, in closed session. However, any action must occur in open session.

DeBack Farms Business Park is being developed by Wispark LLC, the real estate subsidiary of WEC Energy Group Inc.

The business park's first project, a 124,000-square-foot building developed for Norco Manufacturing Co., is under construction. Norco will move there from its nearby location west of I-94, south of Three Mile Road, in the Town of Raymond.

A Wispark spokeswoman said Tuesday that the company has nothing to say about the possible new project at this time.

A distribution center with 1 million square feet would likely use roughly 75 acres, according to one commercial real estate industry source.

DeBack Farms Business Park features 124 acres with lots from 5 to 75 acres, according to Wispark.

Amazon.com Inc.'s Kenosha distribution center, on 165 acres east of I-94 between Burlington Road and 38th St., features two buildings totaling 1.5 million square feet.

The smaller building, with just over 500,000 square feet, is expected eventually to have 575 full- and part-time employees. Amazon's 1 million-square-foot building, which can be seen by drivers speeding past on I-94, is expected to have about 1,100 employees.

Amazon began opening its $250 million facility in late 2014. That project received $22 million in local financing.

Tom Daykin can be reached attdaykin@jrn.com