The Kansas City area could see 4.1 million square feet of industrial space announced or completed in the next six to eight months, said Joe Accurso, executive director of Cushman & Wakefield's Kansas City office. That follows a four-year run in Kansas City that has seen leases for 6.6 million square feet of industrial space just for e-commerce users.

Although the pickup in online purchases is a global phenomenon, Kansas City's central location makes it a high-demand market for e-commerce warehouse and distribution facilities. Accurso said 85 percent of the U.S. population is within a two-day truck drive from Kansas City.

Even within the Kansas City area, the growth of industrial warehouse space should be widespread. He said he's working with groups interested in Northland Park in Kansas City, Missouri; Edgerton, Kansas; Olathe, Kansas and elsewhere.

Much of the activity in the industrial warehouse segment of the market involves leasing of buildings constructed on spec, or without a firm tenant in hand, Accurso said. Among the few high-profile build-to-suit industrial projects of late are a 762,000-square-foot distribution facility at Skyport Industrial Park for CVS Pharmacy and an Amazon fulfillment center in Kansas City, Kan. — both of which Accurso had a hand in.

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