Wayfair – the American e-commerce company headquartered in Boston that specializes in home goods – will be the first tenant to move into the South Lathrop Commerce Center being developed on the southeast corner of the 120 Bypass and Interstate 5.

The Wayfair distribution center will cover 1.1 million square feet on 50 acres.

Wayfair is the first major tenant of the South Lathrop Commerce Center – the massive light-industrial project that will house nearly 5 million square-feet of warehouse space once it is fully built-out. 

Once completed, the complex of 10 buildings will comprise one of the largest business parks built east of the San Joaquin River in the South County, totaling just over 4.8 million square feet of space on a 315-acre footprint. With three buildings totaling more than 1 million square-feet each – including the Wayfair building which is ramping up for construction – the project will rival the geographically larger Crossroads Industrial Park, which is home to a Tesla manufacturing plant and a host of distribution centers, in terms of inhabitable space. 

The project is being constructed south of the Highway 120 Bypass near the Yosemite Avenue interchange, and is bordered by the I-5 on the west, the San Joaquin River to the south and the Union Pacific Railroad tracks to the east. The development company that is bringing the project to fruition has already invested millions of dollars in frontage improvements and upgrades that will allow for adequate storm drainage and sewer capacity. 

Originally approved for only six buildings totaling just over 4.3 million square-feet of space, the project was amended to expand the footprint to include nearly 600,000 additional square-feet of space spread across four new buildings that will be constructed to add variety in terms of the types of spaces that are available within the large warehouse-heavy area. 

While the total number of jobs that Wayfair will bring to the community is not yet known, city representatives – who point out that some of the jobs are already posted online – could number in the hundreds. 

Whether the announcement of the first major tenant of what will be a marquee project for the City of Lathrop – who has emerged as a major player in the warehousing and light-industrial sector thanks to ample space, accessible staff and a prime location with easy access to Sacramento, San Francisco and freeways that connect to Los Angeles – will spur even more decisions remains to be seen. 

Staff believes that the Wayfair building, once all of the permitting issues are cleared, could be completed within six months. 

To contact reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.