Programmatic Multi-Site Industrial Rollouts in Northern Colorado

A rollout of identical buildings is one design and many different sites. The drawings can repeat; the soil, the utility location, the drainage path and the building department cannot. Programmatic construction works when an owner treats the building as a product and treats each site as a separate set of conditions, and when the builder keeps the two clearly apart.

On the northern Front Range that discipline is tested quickly. A program might include a building in Loveland, another in Evans, a third near Wellington and a fourth along the I-25 corridor, each under a different jurisdiction with its own code edition, review process and impact fees. We build programs for owners who want a standard that holds across those places: one set of details, one procurement strategy and one team that learns from each completed site.

Our role begins before the first site is chosen. We help define the prototype, price it, test it against candidate parcels and set up the management routine that carries it from one site to the next.

Repeated buildings already define this market

McWhinney's September 2019 announcement for Centerra Industrial in Loveland covered three new buildings of 123,000 sq ft each, about 360,000 sq ft in total, taking the campus past 650,000 sq ft with three existing buildings of 291,000 sq ft fully leased. Building the same shell three times at one campus is a small version of a program: the economy comes from repeating the structure, the details and the trade partners.

Smaller product repeats too. Three new industrial buildings at 4431 and 4611 Brantner Road in Evans were built in 2025 near Highways 85 and 34 and I-25. A program in Evans or a similar town can mix a standard building with site-specific work, such as a larger yard or a different utility connection, and keeping those variations visible is what controls cost.

One prototype, many sites

We start with a prototype package: structural system, envelope, slab, roof, mechanical and electrical concepts, and a list of the site items that always vary. The prototype is priced in detail and the estimate is split into the part that repeats and the part that depends on the parcel. That split lets the owner compare sites against a stable baseline and see what a given parcel adds.

From there, each site follows a defined routine. We screen the parcel, confirm the adopted code and local amendments, run a site-fit study, price the variable items and issue the permit set. Standard details are updated only through a controlled change process so that improvements found at one site reach the others without breaking what already works. The method builds on our industrial design-build practice.

Where the savings come from, and where they do not

Repetition saves money in procurement, design time, trade learning and review effort. A national or regional purchase of steel, doors, rooftop units and electrical gear can be negotiated once and released against each site. Trades price later buildings lower once they have built the first. Design fees fall as sheets are reused, and the building department sees a familiar package.

Repetition does not remove site cost. A parcel with poor soils needs a different foundation, and a utility that sits far from the building line adds trenching and easements. Fire flow, detention volume and access conditions also vary by jurisdiction. We keep a site cost sheet for each parcel so that the owner's program budget reflects the real number, not an average that hides the outliers. Preconstruction services supply that sheet before land is committed.

Running sites in parallel and in sequence

A program schedule shows more than a list of project dates. It shows which activities are shared, such as steel buys and prototype approvals, and which are local, such as grading and utility tie-ins. We stagger starts so that crews and trade partners move from one site to the next without gaps, and we hold long-lead orders to a shared release cycle described under long lead procurement management.

We also schedule learning. After the first site reaches completion, we hold a review with the owner and the trades: what went as planned, what changed and what should be revised in the prototype. The second and third sites then start from a better document. That feedback is where a program gains speed after the first building.

Programs we structure most often

The most common programs here are small-bay and flex buildings such as the flex and light industrial product, regional warehouses and fulfillment points tied to a delivery network, and support buildings for an owner's own operations. A newly built 24,000 sq ft building at the southeast corner of I-25 and Prospect Road, with suites from 3,000 to 24,000 sq ft and about 0.6 acres of fenced yard, is typical of what a program can repeat.

E-commerce fulfillment and last-mile logistics owners also use the approach to open new points on a corridor. In Wellington, a business center was planned at more than 95,000 sq ft of commercial space with a 36,000 sq ft, 14-unit first phase and an I-25 exit about a three-minute drive away. Small towns along I-25 can host programs of this shape when the prototype is sized to match.

Describe the program and the first three sites

Send us the prototype, the candidate parcels and the opening dates. We will return a program plan with a baseline price, site screening steps and a schedule.

Common Questions

How is a program contract different from a single project contract?

A program agreement sets the prototype, the pricing method and the management routine once, then releases sites one at a time. Each site has its own scope and price based on the baseline plus parcel-specific items. The structure reduces negotiation for later sites and gives the owner a consistent standard.

Do all sites in a program use the same code edition?

Not necessarily. Colorado commercial codes are adopted city by city and county by county, and edition and amendments differ by jurisdiction. We confirm the edition for each parcel and adjust the prototype where the local code requires, tracking differences in a change log.

How many sites are needed before a program approach makes sense?

Two or three sites can justify it if the buildings are similar and the schedules overlap. The savings in procurement and design show up quickly. We can run a short evaluation of your pipeline to see whether a program structure helps or whether individual projects are simpler.

Who manages the relationships with the local jurisdictions?

We do, with a named lead for each site. The lead keeps the contacts, the review history and the local requirements, such as access permits and drainage criteria. When a program crosses several towns, a shared record of what each jurisdiction asked for helps the next submittal move faster.

Can we change the prototype partway through?

Yes, through a controlled change process. We record what changed and why, update the standard details and apply the revision to sites that have not yet started. For sites underway, we evaluate cost and schedule effect before the change is accepted.

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