Velocity Hill Road Breaks New Ground

Browning broke ground June 22 on a new 200,200-square-foot speculative industrial development, Velocity Hill Road,  in Canal Winchester, part of the Columbus Ohio MSA, marking the company’s first ground-up development project in Ohio and a significant milestone in the continued growth of Central Ohio’s industrial market.

The project will operate under Browning’s Velocity industrial park brand, a portfolio of logistics developments across the Midwest designed to support major national and regional occupiers. Notable Velocity tenants include Walmart.com and UPS at Velocity 65 in Shepherdsville, Kentucky. Browning’s broader development portfolio has also served companies including Amazon, Daimler Trucks North America, Reebok, Subaru, Kohl’s, and Logisco/PepsiCo. Designed to accommodate manufacturing, logistics, warehousing, and distribution users.

The ceremony included remarks from Browning Chief Development Officer Mark Susemichel and Senior Vice President Jon Rolwing, as well as Canal Winchester Mayor Joe Steager, and a prepared statement from Commissioner Jeffrey Fix. The industrial facility will pursue LEED Silver certification and is being developed on approximately 16.33 acres within a planned industrial district.

“Canal Winchester offers exceptional industrial access to both Franklin and Fairfield Counties, Rickenbacker International Airport, and the City of Columbus. This new development will add to our industrial capacity, directly addressing the regional demand for logistics and industrial space while bringing vital jobs, tax revenue, and new business partners to our community,” continued Steager.

NAI Ohio Equities will oversee leasing for the project, with Curt Berlin, SIOR, Matthew Osowski, SIOR, Blake DeCrane, SIOR, and Kaydee Hurst serving as exclusive leasing agents.

This project delivers the modern specifications tenants are demanding today—32-foot clear height, ESFR, strong truck courts—and is strategically positioned along the U.S. 33 corridor with outstanding access to both labor and logistics infrastructure. Velocity Hill Road sits squarely in that sweet spot, and we believe this will be a highly competitive offering,” continued Berlin.

Located approximately 13 miles southeast of downtown Columbus, Canal Winchester spans both Franklin and Fairfield counties and continues to attract industrial and logistics investment due to its proximity to Rickenbacker International Airport, regional highway connectivity, and workforce access.  Fairfield County officials say the project further reinforces the region’s position as a growing logistics and supply chain hub.

“We also know that with these logistics opportunities, there will come manufacturing and other supply chain businesses that want to be close to both major manufacturing centers and the warehousing hub we are building,” continued Fix.

The project arrives as industrial fundamentals across Central Ohio remain strong despite a broader wave of speculative construction. According to market data, the Columbus industrial market currently has approximately 7.1 million square feet of speculative space under construction, with an overall vacancy rate of 5.6%. By comparison, the Southeast U.S. 33 Corridor currently has no speculative industrial product currently under construction and maintains a vacancy rate of just 4.3%.

The facility will feature:

• 1,500 square feet of speculative office space
• 10 dock doors equipped with 40,000-pound levelers
• Two 12’ x 14’ drive-in doors
• 32’ clear height
• 50’ x 50’ column spacing
• 60’ speed bay
• ESFR sprinkler system
• LED lighting throughout
• 2,000-amp, 480/277-volt electrical service
• Parking for 200 vehicles