RLS Logistics to Expand Philly-Area Cold Storage Facility

RLS Logistics will expand its existing cold storage facility at 1000 Coopertown Road in Delanco, N.J., to 180,000 square feet. The property now spans 45,000 square feet.

The 135,000-square-foot addition will increase the facility’s capacity by some 24,000 pallet positions, to a total of more than 30,600. The existing property, which opened in 2018, has 12 dock doors and features storage at temperatures between -10 degrees F and 38 degrees F, with 45 degrees F in the dock.

Powered by solar energy, the facility features 54-foot-high ceilings and a CO2 refrigerant system. In prepared remarks, RLS Logistics CCO John Gaudet emphasized that the expansion is not only meant to increase the square footage, but also broaden the company’s menu of services and operational capabilities.

Located near Highway 130, the property is some 14 miles from the Port of Philadelphia and from the Northeast Philadelphia Airport.

Philadelphia industrial development slows

As of January, Philadelphia was in the lead among northeastern markets in terms of industrial development, boasting a pipeline of nearly 7.8 million square feet, which accounted for 1.8 percent of existing inventory, according to a recent CommercialEdge report. Throughout 2023, developers broke ground on only six properties totaling some 2.5 million square feet, a whopping 72 percent decrease from the previous year’s figures.

Although a relatively small niche within the broader industrial market, cold storage has been exhibiting steady growth, facilitated by the shift toward e-commerce which was further accelerated by the pandemic. These favorable trends have made the subsector increasingly attractive for developers and investors alike.