Signature Associates

$50M cold storage facility could bring up to 225 jobs to Metro Detroit

Posted By: mlive on August 23, 2026.  For more information, please click here to read the source article.

Signature Associates’ John Droze and Drake Filippis are proud to be working with Interstate Capital on the leasing and marketing of DTW Romulus Cold Storage.

A developer is preparing to make a more than $50 million bet on a massive cold-storage facility near Detroit Metro Airport, with plans to create as many as 225 permanent jobs.

Interstate Capital is planning a 257,950-square-foot temperature-controlled logistics facility at 15670 Wahrman Road in Romulus, near I-275 and about two miles from Detroit Metro Airport.

The development, known as Project Genron during the city approval process and marketed as DTW Romulus Cold Storage, is expected to support between 100 and 225 permanent jobs, depending on the eventual tenant, level of automation and final configuration.

But there is one notable piece still missing: a tenant.

Interstate Capital is moving ahead with the development on a speculative basis, meaning the company plans to build without an end user committed to the facility.

“We’re willing to build ahead of demand when the fundamentals are undeniable,” Greg Dilone Jr., managing partner and CEO of Interstate Capital, said. “We’ve already had discussions involving at least a dozen potential users, and there simply isn’t enough modern, flexible cold storage inventory in Metro Detroit.”

Potential users include food and grocery distributors, frozen-food companies, pharmaceutical and medical-product logistics operations and other companies that need temperature-controlled storage.

“Speculative cold storage is a much bigger bet than a conventional warehouse, but we believe the market, location, and timing justify that bet,” Dilone Jr. said.

The proposed facility would include 204,580 square feet of convertible freezer space, 30,850 square feet of cold-dock space and 9,750 square feet of office and employee-support space, according to marketing materials for the development.

It would have capacity for about 28,000 pallet positions, 38 exterior loading docks and two drive-in doors. The building is designed with a 48-foot clear interior height and could be divided into spaces of approximately 65,000 square feet to accommodate multiple users.

Interstate Capital expects to begin construction in fall 2026 and complete the project in late 2027, subject to remaining approvals, permits, utility coordination and procurement of refrigeration equipment.

The project recently cleared another hurdle when the Romulus Board of Zoning Appeals approved two variances.

The board unanimously agreed Aug. 5 to allow the building to reach 52 feet in overall height, exceeding the 45-foot zoning limit, and reduce the required setback along I-275 from 80 feet to 59 feet.

Dan Onifer, director of development for Interstate Capital, told the board the additional height is necessary because cold-storage facilities depend on maximizing interior volume.

The project had previously received conditional site-plan approval from the Romulus Planning Commission, while the special land use received final approval from City Council.

City planning documents describe the development as occupying nearly 22 acres at the northwest corner of Wahrman Road and Genron Court, with I-275 bordering the western side of the property.

City planners found the cold-storage use compatible with the surrounding area. A traffic analysis reviewed by the city’s consultant concluded the development would have minimal impact on the surrounding road network.

For Interstate Capital, the location is a major reason the company believes building without a tenant is worth the risk.

“Romulus gives us a combination that is extremely difficult to replicate: DTW, immediate interstate access, proximity to the new Gordie Howe International Bridge, and an established food and logistics ecosystem,” Dilone Jr. said.

Marketing materials put Detroit Metro Airport 1.8 miles from the site and the Gordie Howe International Bridge about 18 miles away. The property also offers access to I-275, I-94 and I-75.

The site is also across Wahrman Road from Kroger’s Romulus distribution operations.

“A temperature-controlled product can arrive by air, cross the Canadian border, or move throughout the Midwest from essentially the same location,” Dilone Jr. said. “When it comes to cold chain, connectivity and time matter enormously.”

Interstate Capital says interest in the proposed facility has already come from companies involved in food, pharmaceuticals, medical products and third-party logistics.

“The market has cold storage, but very little modern, large-format space that can accommodate multiple users and temperature requirements without being built from scratch,” Dilone Jr. said.

The Romulus development is also part of a larger strategy by Interstate Capital to invest along the Michigan-Ontario trade corridor.

The developer is pursuing projects farther north in communities including Marysville, Port Huron Township and Kimball Township, with the idea of capturing more economic activity moving between Michigan and Canada.

“We’re looking at the Michigan-Ontario corridor as an industrial ecosystem, not a collection of individual real estate projects,” Dilone Jr. said.

He said Romulus anchors the southern portion of that strategy around Detroit Metro Airport and the Gordie Howe Bridge, while the company’s investments farther north extend toward the Blue Water Bridge.

“Our idea is to capture more of the manufacturing, storage, and distribution activity that has historically moved through Michigan without stopping here,” Dilone Jr. said.

For Romulus, Dilone Jr. said the potential impact goes beyond the anticipated 100 to 225 jobs.

“A modern cold chain hub supports manufacturers, food producers, pharmaceutical companies, trucking, air cargo, and cross-border commerce,” he said. “We want this facility to make Romulus a place where those companies build their supply chains instead of simply passing through.”