DP, California homebuilder plan major project at Hazen

DP Partners and Stockton-based Matthews Homes have formed a partnership to develop a mixed-use residential and industrial park near Hazen.

The tiny town of Hazen is along Alternate 50, about halfway between Fernley and Fallon.

The residential portion of the property is called Matthews Ranch, while the proposed Great Basin Industrial Park may be renamed under the new partnership, says Aaron West Guillen,Matthews' director of land.

Reno-based DP Partners will take charge of developing the 1,600 acres earmarked for a logistics center.

"We'll bring our industrial expertise to the development," says Aaron Paris, executive vice president and chief operating officer, "and start rolling out the marketing next year."

DP has eight logistics centers nationwide.

"We see a preponderance of 40,000- to 60,000-square-foot users," says Paris."We're also seeing inquiries from 500,000- to 1-million- square-foot users; not high-water users, but companies that need to house a lot of employees, and be near Interstate 80 but not right on I-80."

Plus, he adds, nearby Fernley and Fallon can provide a ready labor market composed of people who want affordable homes in a nice community.

The property is already zoned industrial, says Guillen, and could be developed in a very short time frame.

The property offers the ability to segment off some front pieces to start developing right away, says Paris.

"We've already showed the site to two companies," he adds.

The partners expect to lay the infrastructure next summer and be operational in 2007 with 400 units of residential and 400 acres of industrial.