The first nine locations on Canadian Pacific Kansas City’s (CPKC) North American network have been certified as “Site Ready” as part of a new program that the railroad said “transforms underutilized land into prime industrial sites ready for development, unlocking significant economic potential for both businesses and communities.”
On more than 6,000 acres of land in Canada, the United States and Mexico, the sites are available for immediate construction and were developed and certified in collaboration with third-party global engineering and construction firm Burns & McDonnell, according to CPKC. They were not only selected to offer “proximity to major markets and transportation hubs or other unique regional advantages,” it said, but also “to support long-term operational success by offering reduced development timelines, built-in rail access and larger size acreages.”
The new Site Ready program classifies locations as either Gold, Silver or Bronze. According to CPKC, state and local economic development organizations “invest significantly” in Gold-level sites and these “premier, market-ready sites must complete all necessary due diligence and master planning.” For Silver-level sites, “officials must review physical site diligence studies before approving” them, and the “site representative receives a list of recommended studies as part of the Tier 1 sufficiency notice required for master planning.” With Bronze classification, “the desktop due diligence conducted on these sites encompasses clearly defined ownership, access to services (such as rail and utilities) and permitting requirements, among other essential factors,” CPKC reported.
The new sites are:
- Puerta Querétaro Industrial Park; Querétaro, QUE, Mexico, Gold.
- Shepard Logistics Centre; Calgary, Alta., Canada, Gold.
- Terra Regia Global Park; Pesquería, NLE, Mexico, Gold.
- Ward II Industrial Park; Vivian, La., U.S., Gold.
- World Trade Center II Industrial Park; Villa de Reyes, SLP, Mexico, Gold.
- Centerville; Centerville, Iowa, U.S., Bronze.
- Les Cèdres Complex; Les Cèdres, Que., Canada, Bronze.
- Missouri River Site; Kansas City, Mo., U.S., Bronze.
- Puerta Mexico (CPKC owned); Toluca, MEX, Mexico, Bronze.
“Our nine Site Ready locations provide the ideal platform for businesses seeking to efficiently build new or expand existing operations, creating new value and capitalizing on the economic opportunities presented by the reach of our North American network,” CPKC Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer John Brooks said.
“Burns & McDonnell is proud to collaborate with CPKC on the development of the Site Ready Program, which transforms underutilized land tracts into prime, rail-served industrial development sites,” added Courtney Dunbar, Site Selection Director at Burns & McDonnell. “By aligning site diligence, rail-service capabilities, functional master planning and targeted capital improvements, the program positions CPKC Site Ready properties to attract significant industrial investment. This initiative showcases the transformative power of strategic site planning to unlock economic potential and drive sustainable growth across North America.”
The Site Ready Program is said to build on CPKC’s “Room to Grow” economic development efforts, which include a new auto compound near Dallas, Tex.; the Americold cold storage facility nearing completion in Kansas City, Mo.; and the multi-commodity transload facility under development in Denton, Tex.
