Cold Storage Warehouse for Sale - San Diego Metro

Last Updated Oct. 6, 2024

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By the way, we hope you appreciate our direct and honest communication with you. We are NOT a listing site, and, unlike many other sites you will find, we do NOT pretend to be. We are here to provide you with the best information we can on Cold Storage Warehouse for sale, San Diego. We provide commercial real estate brokerage services - plainly and simply. We mention this because the purpose of all publicly available listing sites is to serve as click bait to lead you, as a potential client, to a Real Estate Broker. The property they are sharing with you may or may not be available. This is not the best way to find a broker who can meet your needs. That's where we come in. We serve as your broker and look out for your best interests - from start to finish.

If you are searching for Cold Storage Warehouse for sale, San Diego, you've come to the right place. In this article, we cover three key topics, including:

  • An overview of cold storage warehousing.
  • An offer of our professional services to help you identify and acquire your next warehouse of any type, including Cold Storage Warehouse for sale in San Diego, from the best listed and unlisted sources. It's what we do!
  • A few examples of properties - like the ones in this category - in the form of a survey. That level of information and more would be a part of the search we would conduct for your specific requirements. Skip directly to the search/survey section for this page.

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You'll find the best information about issues relevant to Cold Storage Warehouse for Sale in San Diego right here. If you are unalbe to find what you are looking for, please let us know what we're missing and we'll be sure to look at adding additional topics and information. If you want our help, please use one or more of the following methods:

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We've seen a significant amount of traffic on our site involving cold storage(cooler and/or freezer)-equipped warehouses for Sale. We've pursued enough of these opportunities that we feel we've established a bit of a specialty in the area. We update our survey of properties periodically. As with any set of properties, their status is very dynamic, so expect us to have to research for you anyway to make sure things are still available and are what they seem to be. Unfortunately, Cold Storage space is in high demand, so you should generally expect some twists and turns as we work to find you what you need - including possible retrofitting of an existing warehouse with the type of refrigeration that you require. We’ll identify the best listed and unlisted Cold Storage Warehouses for Sale in the San Diego Metro at no charge for you. Let us do the searching for you - it's what we do! If you need cold storage warehouse space in the San Diego Metro area, please contact us for more detailed assistance. In the mean time, read on for more information about Cold Storage warehouses.



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As an immediate border with Mexico, San Diego is an excellent place to have cold storage warehouses. Both food importers and exporters can benefit from having a secure, properly conditioned, and compliant place to store food. Local food distributors, restaurant owners, or chain partners can also benefit from renting or buying a Cold Storage Warehouse in San Diego to keep their inventory fresh and ready for the day it will be sold.

Cold Storage Warehouse for Lease or Sale | Warehouse Finder

There are many complications with regard to Cold Storage. It tends to be expensive in terms of building, operating and maintaining. Your Cold Storage space is often built of necessity much like a building within a building because of the rigorous requirements. It must be sealed and extensively insulated. You must have ingress and egress - probably for humans and product from inside the building, and then if you are a volume operation you will likely need access through a dock directly connecting your cold storage space in warehouse with your cold storage transportation. All of these doors must be insulated and sealed as well. The space must be refrigerated throughout with temperatures carefully regulated. IF you need to store foods that require different temperatures, then you must create separators and regulate temperature differently for each area. If you are concerned about cross contamination between food types - like, say, you are doing some food processing in your cold space or for some other reason - then you must be able to certify what has and is being done in the area you are using and how it has been cared for. You'll probably need to be able to provide proof that what you've stored has been maintained at specified temperatures. These are some of the many complications...

Cold Storage Warehouse for Lease or Sale | Warehouse Finder

First principles - building out and maintaining Cold Storage capability can be an expensive proposition. For this reason at a minimum, unused Cold Storage space tends to be scarce.

  • Sometimes you will find facilities - often large - that have been vacated and are available to buy or lease. Figuring out if this type of facility is usable can be an undertaking. You will need to assess a wide range of issues - refrigeration methods, insulation quality and status, temperature ranges and divisibility, etc., etc.. You likely won't know exactly why the prior occupant decided to move out, so, of course, take care.
  • If you have the scale, you will probably want to at least consider acquiring land and building. Of course, this requires more capital investment, so it needs to fit within the financial strategy of your company. This method should be expected to be better for your company from a COGS perspective, but it's possible you'll pay a price in flexibility over the long term. Build your own is not a decision to be taken lightly.
  • Another is to find someone who's built it for themselve and determine whether or not they have space they aren't using and lease some space from them.
  • Another is to find Cold Storage equipped space already built that is for sale or lease and have your Broker help you lease or buy the space.
  • In the area of lease, there are people who build buildings to sub-divide the space and lease portions of the space to tenants. If this includes cold storage space, this could be your answer.
  • There are also 3rd Party Logistics providers that provide and/or specialize in cold storage and will sell you cold storage as a part of a logistics package.

There are likely other options, and any of these may be an option for you.

If you expect to lease cold storage space, divisibility of that space can be quite challenging depending upon your requirements. Simply equipping a stand-alone facility for a single occupant with a range of refrigeration requirements isn't a picnic either. Available cold storage space must be divided up to provide potential tenants with what they need in terms of space and temperature. If the Tenant's requirements are complicated, this can raise the expense levels significantly. Chances are good that the landlord will be asking you to commit to a longer-term lease or pony up some of the capital expense up front to accommodate your needs - or both.

It can be possible to retrofit cold storage into an existing facility - although it might not be "pretty."

If you simply require non-freezing refrigerated space, then you can often just build an enclosure within the subject building and equip that enclosure properly. You need to determine whether or not you need the refrigeration to include some or all of your dock area.

Freezing space is a different matter altogether. Retrofitting a large freezer space within an existing building will likely require demo-ing that portion of your foundation and re-installing foundation to a new specification. At that point, you would then build a chamber similar to the more simple refrigerated space above - except with more stringent requirements. In this case, frost is not your friend.

You and/or your potential landlord will need to hire a refrigeration specialist to help everyone get what they need.

If you are new to cold storage, likely no one would hold it against you if you decided that maybe you should have someone else do the cold storage for you. There are 3PL (3rd Party Logistics) providers in the industry who do this for many reasons including those outlined above. This can be a good way to start out if you still learning or even expanding into a new area. As you grow, you will learn more about what you need, and trade-offs you encounter with 3PL vs. those that you expect with having your own space will begin to favor a roll-your-own approach - at which point you should likely begin to look at it more seriously again.

See the Survey Description Section for a contextual description of Surveys and for what they are used.

Survey Item 1 of 3 Help Me Find Properties Like This
Property Type Purchase
Transaction Type Industrial & Flex
Location Keywords
Keyword Selection
I-905
Keyword Selection
CA 125
Keyword Selection
I-805
Keyword Selection
US I-5
Property Descriptions
Clear Height (ft)
Actual: 24
Office Square Feet
Actual: 3000
Total Square Feet
Actual: 20352
Further Description * 20,352 SF Building Size
* 17,352 SF coolers
* 3,000 SF Office
* 1.09 AC Lot Size
* Built 2005
* Class B Building
* 5 Dock High Doors
* 24 FT Ceiling Height
* ESFR sprinklers System
* 1200 Amps 277/480 Volts Power Supply

This 20,352 square foot building includes a 7,935 square foot cooler area and a total of 17,352 square feet of warehouse space, making it ideal for cold storage and warehousing needs. The property also features a 3,000 square foot office area, providing functional space for administrative tasks. The warehouse is equipped with four 9’x 9’ insulated loading dock doors, dock seals, and 6’ x 7’ levelers, along with one additional loading dock and a ramp drive-in entrance with a 10’x12’ door. With a 24-foot clear height and 22-foot cooler ceiling height, the facility is well-suited for various storage needs. The building is powered by 1,200 amps at 277/480 volts and is equipped with ESFR sprinklers for fire suppression, ensuring safety and operational efficiency. The coolers also feature electric slide loading doors with curtains and man doors for easy access.

Survey Item 2 of 3 Help Me Find Properties Like This
Property Type Purchase
Transaction Type Industrial & Flex
Location Keywords
Keyword Selection
Port of San Diego Freight Port
Keyword Selection
San Diego International Airport
Property Descriptions
Clear Height (ft)
Actual: 16
Total Square Feet
Actual: 9300
Further Description * 9,300 SF Building Area
* Single Tenancy
* 0.21 AC Lot Size
* M-1B Zoning
* Built 1982
* 1 Story Building
* Class B Building
* 100% HVAC
* 1 Dock-High Door
* 1 Grade-Level Door
* Owner User Sale Type
* 16 FT Clear Ceiling Height
* 1.5/1,000 SF Parking Ratio

This Class B building, built in 1982, offers a 9,300 square foot area on a 0.21-acre lot and is available for owner-user sale. The one-story structure features a clear ceiling height of 16 feet and is fully equipped with a sprinkler system for safety. Loading is facilitated by one dock-high door and one grade-level door. The building is 100% HVAC controlled and includes specialized facilities such as commercial ovens, an existing floor sink, covered storage space, freezer and cooling areas, and a designated food production area. Additionally, it is equipped with a security system and a solar electric system.

Survey Item 3 of 3 Help Me Find Properties Like This
Property Type Lease
Transaction Type Industrial & Flex
Location Keywords
Keyword Selection
SR 11 Freeways
Keyword Selection
SR 125 Freeways
Keyword Selection
SR 905 Freeways
Property Descriptions
Clear Height (ft)
Actual: 32
Total Square Feet
Actual: 247480
Further Description * 247,480 SF Building Size
* 13.28 AC Lot Size
* Built 2022
* Reinforced Concrete Construction
* ESFR Sprinkler System
* OM Zoning
* 4 Drive-in Bays
* 66 Exterior Dock Door
* Amps: 6,000 Phase: 3
* 52’ x 60’ Column Spacing
* 32’ Clear Height
* 276 Standard Parking Spaces

The warehouse has a total area of 247,480 SF with flexible demising plans and suite sizes ranging from 23,920 SF to 123,732 SF. The facility features freezer space, office space, ESFR sprinklers, 32’ clear height, 52’ x 60’ column spacing, loading dock doors, drive-in bays, 276 standard parking spaces, 130’ truck court depth, and a secure site with gated access.

Cold Storage Warehouse Word Cloud Infographic | Warehouse Finder

There are a wide range of uses for refrigerated space in warehouses. This includes things like Food Preparation and Storage at various stages of the value chain, vaccines and other drugs, plants, and, interestingly, more obscure items like document and art. For completeness, this can also include display of articles at temperature, but this is more likely at the retail level.

When a client asks us to help them search for a property to meet their needs for a Cold Storage Warehouse for Sale in San Diego, we go to the best listing services and to our fellow Commercial Real Estate brokers to pull together all the information available for properties meeting the stated client requirements. We validate the information to be provided - likely by talking directly with the selling or leasing brokers - and then help our clients go through this information to help them select the best fit properties, from which the client would select properties they wish to tour. We are posting an abbreviated version of a search we've either performed for another client, or one we've performed particularly for this article. We call the information provided in this article a "Survey," and we'd love to turn this survey into a full set of search results based upon your requirements! If you don't see a survey in the next section, it just means we haven't gotten around to it yet. If you need this type of property, please do let us know and we'll contact you to get started. The search we perform for you will include most or all categories you see here, plus information about pricing, other expenses, availability, and anything we can find regarding other requirements you provide for your use case. We would provide all of this, along with any available flyers, photos, and detailed information regarding each property.

This standard brokerage service is provided at no cost to you as it is ordinarily included in the transaction and paid for by the seller or landlord.

The market for Commercial Real Estate is very dynamic, and information regarding an available property can change from day-to-day, hour-to-hour, and even minute-to-minute. When you provide us with your requirements for a given property type, we perform a new search, validate all of the information, and provide you with the most reliable information we are able. The information we obtain for you is obtained from what we believe to be reliable sources. The statements and representations made are from these sources and not the statements and representations of the broker putting together your requested search.

Our job is to find a selection of Cold Storage Warehouses for Sale in the San Diego Metro using all public and private information services along with our shoe leather and connections. This identification process is without financial obligation to you. Brokers make their money at closing, and these commissions are generally included in the lease and purchase price. To make contact with us, please use our chat widget at the bottom right of your screen, call the number at the top right of your screen, or go to our form page to send us your contact information and a summary of your requirement. For more information about our San Diego Area Affiliate, and more about what we do for you, please visit our San Diego Metro Area.

If you like what you see here and you have a Cold Storage Warehouse for Sale in San Diego, or any other property or space you want to put on the market, please contact us and we'll provide you with a no-obligation listing consultation. To make contact with us, please use our chat widget to the bottom right of your screen, call the number at the top right of your screen, or use our listing information form to send us your contact information and a summary of your property.

What we do here at Warehouse Finder is identify and manage Broker/Affiliates in Metro areas as they work to help valued clients get the property or space that they need. We aim to be the best at what we do. If you have a requirement you can't service - most likely for a Metro area you don't serve - please contact us using our chat widget at the bottom right of your screen, call the number at the top right of your screen, or use our Broker Requirement form to send us your contact information and a summary of the requirement you would like us to address for your valued client. We will reach out to you as soon as practical to discuss the requirement and terms for proceeding.

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