Light Industrial and Airport-Area Building in Guthrie
Light industrial shops, aerospace-support space and airport-area site work in Guthrie, planned around I-35, historic district rules and Cimarron drainage.
Light industrial space north of the Oklahoma City metro has to be fast to build and easy to reach from I-35, and Guthrie meets both tests. Wikipedia lists Logan County as served by Interstate 35, US Highway 77 and State Highways 33, 51, 74, 74C and 105, so a shop or small plant here has several ways to reach customers in Edmond, Oklahoma City and points north. We build steel-framed shops, small-bay industrial space and yards for owners who want that access without metro land prices.
Small and mid-sized employers have used the area for years. The Guthrie News Page reported on March 31, 2016 that a nail distributor would occupy 35,000 square feet in the Stewart Industries Industrial Complex with over 40 personnel and that an aerospace company would start with 20 personnel, about 60 jobs in all. That report is more than nine years old, so we cite it only as an example of the mix of tenants the area attracts, mainly light assembly and distribution in leased space. Whether a given tenant is still there is a question for the owner, not for this page.
What the market asks of a builder is flexibility. Tenants change, and the building has to work for the next one. We design with generous doors, clear height, adaptable power and a floor that can take a range of equipment, and we avoid the expensive finishes that only suit one user.
Working around a historic district
Wikipedia describes the Guthrie Historic District, a National Historic Landmark, as the largest urban historic district in Oklahoma, with 2,169 buildings across about 1,400 acres. That fact matters to an industrial owner for one reason: where a parcel is inside or next to the district, exterior changes, signage, demolition and new construction may face design review. Most industrial land lies outside the district, but we check the boundary and the overlay before we price any building near the old town.
If review applies, we plan time for it and pick materials and massing that the board is likely to accept. The state adopted newer International Codes, and the city confirms which edition and amendments govern the submittal. Our permitting and entitlements coordination puts the historic review, the building permit and the utility approvals on one calendar.
Shops, small-bay space and yards
The common request is a pre-engineered or tilt-up building of 10,000 to 60,000 square feet with a few dock doors, grade-level doors, an office and a truck yard. Our light manufacturing and flex industrial approach divides the building into bays that can be leased separately, with demising walls, separate meters and shared utilities. For contractors and service trades, the flex and light industrial format works well.
Aerospace-related tenants are often smaller than people expect, with assembly benches, clean storage and test equipment. They need a good floor, reliable power and a quiet environment. We discuss those needs with the tenant before finalizing electrical and floor details.
Red Bed soils and creek drainage
Wikipedia reports that Logan County lies in the Red Bed Plains physiographic area and is drained by the Cimarron River and the smaller Cottonwood and Ephraim Creeks. For a builder, the practical points are drainage paths and the need for a geotechnical report. We do not know the soil on any particular parcel, and we do not assume it, so we recommend borings before design. Where creeks cross a site, we check the floodplain and set the building and the yard at elevations the engineer approves.
Detention often takes more land than owners expect. A large roof and paved yard shed water fast, and the basin must hold it and release it slowly. We lay out detention early, so the parcel's usable area is known before the owner buys.
The airport between Guthrie and Edmond
Wikipedia reports that the city-owned Guthrie-Edmond Regional Airport has one concrete runway, 16/34, measuring 5,001 by 75 feet, about 2 nautical miles south of Guthrie and 7 miles north of Edmond. For businesses that fly, the airport provides a convenient base, and for hangar users it offers land with an obvious use. Our aircraft hangar work covers clear-span frames, door foundations and floors that stay flat. Airport land has its own lease, height and fire rules, and we start with those.
Buyers who want to compare nearby suburbs can read about Edmond to the south and Stillwater to the north and east.
Speed for a speculative or leased building
Owners who build to lease want occupancy quickly. We shorten the schedule by ordering the steel as soon as the design is frozen, pouring the slab while the frame is in fabrication and enclosing the building before the interior work. Rain days on red clay can stop earthwork, so we stabilize the pad early with lime or aggregate if the engineer calls for it.
See how our pre-engineered metal building teams sequence the foundation and erection to hold that timeline.
Tenants and what they need
The users that fit the area are assembly shops, regional distributors, contractors with yards and aerospace suppliers. Our advanced manufacturing experience helps with the electrical, compressed air and floor requirements of those tenants, while a distributor cares about dock doors, clear height and truck turning. We ask each prospective user for their equipment list, their truck count and their power needs, then compare those against what the building offers.
A building that only suits one tenant is a risk for the owner. We would rather add a second dock door or a larger electrical service now, at modest cost, than see a vacant building because the next tenant cannot use it.
Check the boundary, the soil and the airport rules
Tell us the use, the size and the parcel. We will check district boundaries, drainage and access and give you a written outline of the cost drivers.
Common Questions
Does the historic district affect an industrial project?
Only when the parcel is in or near the district boundary. Most industrial land is outside it, but we check the boundary and any overlay before we price, since design review can add time.
What road access does Guthrie have?
Logan County is served by I-35, US 77 and several state highways. For trucks, we design the driveway and the turning paths for the specific route you will use.
Can I build a hangar near the airport?
Yes, with the airport's lease and design requirements. The airport has a 5,001-foot concrete runway. We coordinate the foundation, floor and door package with the hangar supplier.
Why is geotechnical work important?
The area has red bed soils and creek drainage that vary by parcel. Borings tell us the bearing capacity, the groundwater and the need for lime or other treatment, which affect the foundation and the price.
