E-commerce spurs DFW, Houston commercial growth

​​​DALLAS – The rapid growth of e-commerce​ has fueled development of warehouses and distribution centers in the 12 primary U.S. inland port markets—including Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston—at nearly twice the national rate, according to a new report​ from CBRE.

With it’s 3.6 percent growth rate in first quarter 2016, DFW was the third fastest-growing market nationally. The national average was 1.6 percent.

Talking about DFW, CBRE Senior Vice President Steve Berger said, “The predominant distribution model has imports being sent from the West Coast by train to our two major intermodals, into our warehouses, and then onto trucks to fan out and make deliveries to points north, east, and south. Within a half day’s drive, a truck can serve three of the 10 largest U.S. cities and a combined population of over 25 million people.”

Meanwhile, CBRE Senior Vice President Tom Lynch said Houston, being near the Port of Houston, offers a variety of benefits not always available in other inland port markets.

“The lack of zoning provides consumer companies with a wide variety of options when it comes to determining the best location for their distribution or warehouse facility," Lynch said. "For this reason, you see a lot of major consumer companies having satellite facilities in the Houston market in addition to a main distribution facility.”

Other top inland ports were Southern California’s Inland Empire; Phoenix; Kansas City; St. Louis; Chicago; Memphis, Tenn.; Columbus, Ohio; Atlanta; Greenville, S.C.; and East and Central Pennsylvania.

Inland ports are defined as having a Class I rail connection to a major seaport and access to significant transportation infrastructure, such as rail, highway, or waterway.​