Industrial Construction in Loveland, Colorado

Flex, warehouse and light-manufacturing owners along the US 34 and I-25 corridor in Loveland need a builder who can raise a concrete-walled building with real clear height and dock loading, and who treats stormwater as a design condition rather than a punch-list item. That is the work we do here. US 34 enters Loveland from Big Thompson Canyon as Eisenhower Boulevard, becomes a four-lane expressway, and meets both I-25 and US 287 inside the city, so a site on that road reaches the interstate and the regional highway grid in minutes.

Centerra, the commercial hub at the I-25 and US 34 interchange shared by Loveland and Johnstown, shows how the market splits its uses. Shopping centers, a mall, a medical center and the Blue Arena fill one part of the interchange, and the buildings behind them need to serve the businesses that supply, repair and store for all of it. We build in that second layer, where trucks, racking and loading doors matter more than frontage.

A concrete-wall industrial building from slab to roof

A typical Loveland industrial job for us begins with a geotechnical review and a site civil plan, then moves through footings, wall panels, a structural roof and a slab sized for the racking and forklift plan. The newest industrial buildings at Centerra are marketed with concrete construction, 24 ft clear heights, dock-high loading and ESFR sprinklers, a useful picture of what regional tenants now expect: height for storage, sprinkler design matched to the commodity, and doors at truck-bed height. We deliver that kind of building through tilt-wall industrial buildings and the shell packages described under warehouse shell construction.

Tenant finish follows the shell. Offices, restrooms, a small production room or a mezzanine for light assembly are built to the occupant's drawings, and we sequence them so the first tenant can move in while the last bay is still being finished. Speculative owners get a shell priced with allowances that match the tenant mix they expect to attract.

An airport, an interstate and a development campus within one drive

Northern Colorado Regional Airport sits on just over 1,000 acres about 5 miles northeast of Loveland. It has an 8,500 ft by 100 ft main runway and a crosswind runway, and handles roughly 85,000 to 95,000 takeoffs and landings per year. An airport of that size draws hangar, maintenance and parts-storage users who want a conditioned industrial building near a runway, and the airport area is a distinct market from the retail interchange a few miles away.

The industrial campus next to the airport tells the same story from the developer's side. A September 2019 announcement covered three new buildings of 123,000 sq ft each, about 360,000 sq ft in all, taking the campus past 650,000 sq ft with the three existing buildings (291,000 sq ft) fully leased. We read those numbers cautiously, as marketing from one developer, but they show steady appetite for mid-size distribution and light-industrial space half a mile off the interstate. Our page for Centerra Industrial picks up that submarket in more detail.

The Big Thompson River and what September 2013 taught owners

Four days of heavy rain in September 2013 flooded Loveland along the Big Thompson River and closed roads, and sections of US 34 toward Estes Park collapsed. For an industrial owner the lesson is practical rather than historical. Check the floodplain mapping before you buy, set finished floor elevations above the mapped flood level with a margin, keep switchgear and process equipment off the lowest floor where the design allows, and detail grading so heavy rain leaves the site instead of crossing the building pad.

We design and build detention and conveyance as part of the site package, because a site that drains badly will fail an inspection and a storm in the same season. Our work under stormwater detention and drainage covers ponds, outlet structures, swales and the downstream tie-ins that reviewers ask about. Road closures matter too: we identify a second delivery route to every project so one washed-out connection does not stop concrete or steel for a week.

Cranes, trucks and traffic near a working airport

Work near an active airfield and a busy expressway raises specific questions. Before a lift plan is final, we ask the airport and the relevant aviation authority whether tall equipment or the finished building height triggers a notice, and we schedule crane picks so they do not conflict with flight operations. Panel erection, steel setting and roof work all happen at height, and we run daily task briefings, fall protection checks and exclusion zones around lifts.

On the ground, trucks entering a site from Eisenhower Boulevard or another arterial need protected turning movements and trained flaggers. Our temporary traffic plans separate delivery vehicles from workers on foot, and we keep dust, mud tracking and noise within the limits set by the permit. If you operate a plant next door, we coordinate shared access with you before the first truck arrives.

Flex, warehouse and light manufacturing under one roof line

Loveland buyers usually ask for one of three things: a flex or light-industrial building with an office front and rear loading, a warehouse building sized for pallet racking, or a manufacturing space with heavier power and process utilities. The shell can look similar for all three, but the slab thickness, electrical service, ventilation and sprinkler design are different, and we price them separately so you see what drives cost.

Distribution tenants pull the building toward height and door count, while assembly users pull it toward power, lighting and clean floors. Owners serving logistics and distribution and those in advanced manufacturing are both active along this corridor, and we design the shell with enough flexibility that a second tenant can reuse it without tearing out the first one's work.

Share the parcel and the use

Send us the address, the intended use and the timeline for occupancy. We will review access, drainage and utilities for the site and return a scope and sequence you can compare with your other options.

Common Questions

Does building near the airport change our permit or schedule?

It can. Height limits, lighting and construction cranes all deserve a conversation with the airport operator before drawings are final. We raise those questions during preconstruction so the lift plan and the building height are checked together. A site that is clear on paper can still lose days if a crane pick has to avoid flight operations, so we schedule the heavy lifts with that in mind.

How high above the mapped floodplain should we set the floor?

The local floodplain administrator sets the legal minimum, and your insurer and lender may ask for more. After the September 2013 flooding along the Big Thompson, many owners choose to build above the minimum and keep critical equipment on higher ground. We map the choices to cost so you can see what an extra foot of fill or a raised equipment pad actually adds.

What clear height should a spec building here be designed for?

Marketing for newer buildings along this corridor describes 24 ft clear heights with dock-high loading, which suits most pallet racking and a wide tenant pool. If you know the first user, design to that user and keep the roof structure able to carry a modest increase later. We will price both so you can decide whether to build a taller shell now or leave room for height later.

Which road does truck traffic use to reach a US 34 site?

Most trucks reach the corridor from I-25 and move along US 34, which is Eisenhower Boulevard through the city. Site entrances on a high-volume arterial need turn lanes, deceleration room and access approval, and those items can control the schedule. We confirm access permits and construction entrance locations early and plan a secondary route if the primary is restricted.

Can you phase a building so one tenant opens first?

Yes. We divide the work into a base shell, individual tenant bays and shared site improvements, and each phase is sequenced with its own inspections. The first occupant gets a certificate for its bay while later bays continue behind a safe separation. We discuss the phasing in the preconstruction plan so utilities and fire protection are sized for the whole building from day one.

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