Springfield Underground targets summer finish for $15M expansion

A new $15 million warehouse under the ground in northeast Springfield is expected to be finished this summer.

More than a year of work at Springfield Underground is coming to a head as general contractor DeWitt & Associates Inc. wraps up a new 331,200-square-foot warehouse. Christina Angle, chief financial officer for Springfield Underground parent company Erlen Group, said the building — located on the western edge of the 2019 Le Compte Road development — is its 11th to be built in the underground space.

“We continue to see demand for high-quality industrial space in the Springfield market,” she said. “We are currently fully leased and receive inquiries about vacant space frequently, so we decided to build out the next phase of our underground development.”

Angle said Springfield Underground is in negotiations for the entire space with a consumer products manufacturer, though a lease hasn’t been signed.

The project started with a bang in early 2018, when crews prepped the space with explosives. Construction began in earnest in December 2018, Angle said.

DeWitt & Associates is working with architect JPS & Associates Inc., J&M Engineering LLC and RTM Engineering Consultants LLC, she said. Excavation work was handled by Gillespie Excavating Co. LLC.

The new warehouse adds to an existing 2.5 million square feet of warehouse and data storage 100 feet below ground near the intersection of Kearney Street and U.S. Highway 65.

Later this year, Angle said three of Springfield Underground’s roughly 100,000-square-foot existing buildings would become available as tenants exit. Tenants include Bluebird Network, Pitt Technology Group LLC, WON Communications LLC and Kraft Heinz.

Springfield Underground became a division of Erlen Group late last year after the latter company was formed as the corporate umbrella for six operations. Others are Westside Stone LLC, Joplin Stone Co., Cold Zone, Umlaut Industrial and the Frisco office building, Springfield Business Journal previously reported.