Warehouse demand brings attention to South Side properties

Brookfield Properties wants to replace the Wheatland Tube factory with a logistics center comprising three buildings totaling 589,000 square feet. The plan calls for 721 vehicle parking spaces and 82 loading docks. (Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times)

For real estate developers and investors around Chicago, the best-laid plans often involve warehouses.

It is a humble use and not without controversy, but the push for shipping and storage across the metropolitan area has been the hottest thing in property development in years. It’s led to a proliferation of mega-sized buildings, often 1 million square feet, in the suburbs and developers scouring the city for well-placed parcels.