244,000-Square-Foot Spec Warehouse Planned Near Tanger Outlets in Mebane

Crews began clearing and preparing a 21-acre parcel adjacent to Tanger Outlets for construction of Oakwood Commerce Center, a 244,000-square-foot spec warehouse and flexible light industrial building, on Jan. 1, 2026. The site sits just over the Alamance County line on the Orange County side of Mebane and faces I-85/40, placing it less than a mile from the interstate corridor.

The Keith Corporation of Charlotte purchased the property from Armacell for $1.2 million in December 2024, according to Orange County records. Colliers is marketing the development as Class A industrial/flex space with a target completion date in mid-2026. Orange County officials confirmed the building is being developed for lease or sale and that no tenant has been identified yet.

Planned building specifications call for a 36-foot-tall structure with 25 loading docks with overhead doors and room for additional overhead doors in a possible future expansion. Site plans include 35 trailer parking spaces for tractor-trailers and 159 traditional parking spaces. The property’s location between Armacell and Tanger Outlets and its frontage on I-85/40 are emphasized in Colliers’ materials.

Marketing materials highlight the site’s logistics advantages: Raleigh-Durham International Airport is about 35 miles away, Piedmont Triad International is roughly 46 miles distant, and ocean ports such as Wilmington and Morehead City sit approximately 181 and 196 miles away, respectively. Those connections make the site attractive for distribution, e-commerce fulfillment, or light manufacturing that relies on highway and airport access.

Although the parcel lies in Orange County, its proximity to Alamance County means residents and officials in both counties can expect impacts. Construction activity will bring short-term demand for contractors and trades, while a completed Class A facility could expand the local industrial tax base and create long-term jobs if leased to logistics or manufacturing users. Conversely, nearby neighborhoods and commercial corridors may face increased truck traffic, noise and wear on local roads, particularly Oakwood Street Extension and the I-85/40 ramps.

The Keith Corporation’s regional track record includes a $120 million renovation of the 500,644-square-foot American Tobacco campus in Durham in 2004 and multiple industrial and healthcare projects along the Eastern Seaboard. Oakwood Commerce Center fits a broader pattern of speculative industrial development near interstate nodes in the Triangle and Triad regions as demand for modern warehouse space continues. Local planners and residents will be watching permitting, traffic mitigation measures and tenant announcements as the project advances toward its mid-2026 target.