According to a recent report by Courier-Tribune, Tesla is making plans to open a very large warehouse in Illinois. The location is south of Interstate 270 at Gateway TradePort in the Metro East region of the state.
Information about the upcoming plans came to light after Tesla reportedly signed a lease for nearly 700,000 square feet of space. The property is currently owned by the real estate company CBRE and is part of a planned industrial park in Pontoon Beach.
At this point, there's no official word on what Tesla intends to do with the warehouse property, which is currently under construction, but it's still interesting since the facility will be so expansive. The location also begs curiosity. The address listed on the lease is 1202 Tradeport Parkway, which Courier-Tribune says is located off I-270 and Illinois Route 111.
The publication attempted to reach Tesla, but didn't receive a reply. Courier-Tribune also reportedly contacted the developer, Kansas City, Missouri-based NorthPoint Development, though it hadn't received a reply at the time of writing.
With all of that said, Tesla has plans to open a store and Service Center some ~30 miles from the new warehouse. The new Tesla store will be located in south St. Louis County, and the company also has another nearby location in Chesterfield, MO.
According to Teslarati, Tesla has a few job postings that could be related to the upcoming warehouse. If they are related, it appears the facility could become a parts distribution center. The electric automaker is hiring a supervisor for a parts facility in St. Louis, MO. A few other job postings also included mentions of a Tesla warehouse in St. Louis.
Tesla has proven over the years that its expansion efforts are seemingly constant, and it appears there's no plan for any pauses in the near future. The company has opened two new factories in the recent past, upgraded and expanded at others, and reportedly intends to expand further.
Tesla is also actively searching for a location for its next Gigafactory, which is likely to be in North America. Finally, the company is hiring yet again after recent reorganization and layoffs.
