On South Stewart Road, the question for a developer is not whether to build cold space but how to phase it. State project records show two refrigerated warehouses side by side: a 105,000-square-foot building estimated at $21,700,000 and the first phase of a 58,500-square-foot building estimated at $12,600,000. Both were registered in April 2025 and both list construction running into July 2026. Phase one of a project implies a phase two, and phase two is where a contractor earns its keep, because the second building must tie into the first one's yard, utilities and drainage without stopping it.
We build for owners in that position: a first refrigerated building done, a second planned, and an operator who cannot afford downtime. Our job is to design the site so the first phase leaves room for the second, to stub utilities where the next building will need them, and to pour a yard that can be extended with a clean joint instead of a patch. These are small decisions in the first phase that save weeks in the second.
San Juan sits just south of the main I-2/U.S. 83 freeway and between Pharr and Alamo, so freight from its warehouses reaches the same highways as the larger neighbors. We work across all three, and we price San Juan projects against that wider market, including cold storage facilities and the dry buildings that often sit beside them.
A phased refrigerated project has a different scope from a one-off. The first phase carries oversize infrastructure: a power service sized for both buildings, a storm system that can accept the second roof, a fire water line with capacity to spare. It also carries a yard geometry that makes sense when the second building arrives. We draw both phases at the outset, even when the owner funds only the first, so nothing built now has to be torn out later.
Inside the building, the work includes insulated panels, a vapor-tight envelope, a floor suited to each temperature zone, dock doors with seals, and the electrical rooms for refrigeration. We coordinate these with the refrigeration contractor so piping, conduit and structural supports are placed before panels close the walls. Our cold storage construction team does that coordination on every job.
When phase two starts while phase one is already operating, the schedule becomes a negotiation with the tenant's shift calendar. Trucks still arrive. Forklifts still run. We set up a separate construction entrance, fence the work zone and agree on quiet hours for noisy tasks. Utility tie-ins happen in short windows, planned with the operator, and the temporary power and cooling plans are written down before the day.
The state records for both San Juan projects show about thirteen to fourteen months from start to listed completion, which is a realistic range for a refrigerated building of that size when materials arrive on time. We never promise a date until we have equipment lead times from the vendors. Our phased construction on occupied sites method is built for exactly this situation, and long-lead procurement keeps the critical equipment on order from day one.
Roof area doubles when phase two is built, and the water has to go somewhere. A county drainage district bond sheet from 2023 listed an Alamo Expressway Drain Phase 2 and a San Juan Lateral Extension among 26 proposed projects, as part of a proposed $195 million bond. We do not know which of those projects will be built or when, so we design each site to hold and release stormwater on its own terms and then treat any district improvement as a bonus.
That approach means sizing detention for the full build-out, grading yards to move water away from docks, and setting floors at a height that protects stored product. Frozen and chilled goods stored on an inundated slab are a total loss. A modest difference in elevation on the first day can prevent that, and it costs far less than an insurance claim. We also look at how trucks will cross the lot in wet weather. A yard that ponds at the throat of the driveway slows every inbound trailer, so we slope aprons toward inlets and keep the low point away from the dock doors. Those few inches of fall are cheap to build in and nearly impossible to add after paving.
Safety on a mixed-use industrial street means separating construction from operations. We assign separate gates, post flaggers for deliveries, and keep our laydown yard out of the tenant's truck lanes. Trenches near the active building are shored and barricaded, and any work that disrupts access to a dock is announced in advance. Every crew on our site wears the same high-visibility gear as the tenant's yard staff, so everyone in the lot can see who is who.
Tilt panels, insulated metal panels and rooftop equipment all require crane work, and crane work near operating trucks requires a clear plan. We pick pad locations, swing radii and lift windows with the operator, schedule heavy picks away from shift change, and stop work if weather or traffic changes the assumptions.
Developers who build in San Juan often look at lots in Pharr's industrial parks as well, and operators who start in one often expand into the other. We bid both with the same estimating team, so cost comparisons are consistent. San Juan also hosts one of South Texas's largest churches according to a general reference, which brings seasonal visitor traffic that a delivery plan should consider when routing construction trucks on nearby streets.
East of San Juan, Alamo offers larger lots on its industrial corridor, and we compare these with San Juan sites by truck minutes, land price and drainage exposure.
Share your first-phase plans and your timeline for the next building. We will show how the site, utilities and yard should be laid out so both phases fit. Owners can also read how we serve the logistics and distribution industry.
It depends on tenant commitment and cost of capital. Building both together saves mobilization and lets one set of utilities serve everything. Building one at a time reduces risk. Either way, we design the site for both so the second phase can start without redoing the first.
State project records list roughly thirteen to fourteen months from start to estimated completion for each of the two refrigerated warehouses on South Stewart Road. Those are registration estimates, not final dates. Your schedule depends on equipment lead times and utility delivery.
The state record for one San Juan project lists an estimate of $21,700,000 for 105,000 square feet, and the first phase of a smaller building lists $12,600,000 for 58,500 square feet. These are owner-reported estimates and vary with temperature class, dock count and site work. We prepare our own estimate from your program.
Yes. We set separate access, schedule disruptive work for off hours, and plan utility tie-ins with the operator in advance. We build contingency into the schedule for weather and for the tenant's peak weeks.
We manage the registration and review submission with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation for projects at or above $50,000, and we coordinate any comments with the designer. It adds a few steps to the schedule, so we start it with the permit set.
Every project starts with the site, the schedule and the approvals it needs. Request a project review and we will walk through yours.
Tell us about the property, the building, the schedule and the approvals you expect. We will review the scope and follow up with next steps.
