CIP MARKETPLACE (pg.12): CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES/GENERAL CONTRACTORS COMMERCIAL LENDING REAL ESTATE LAW FIRMS
VOL.36 NO.3
THE LEADING NEWS SOURCE FOR INDUSTRIAL REAL ESTATE PROFESSIONALS & USERS
MAY 2026
Chicago's Cold Storage Reset: Modern Product Rises as Aging Inventory Lags
Karis Stockyards loading dock - Courtesy Karis Cold
By Brandi Smith
O
n the literal ground of America's old meatpacking capital, a 15,580-pallet-position freezer is rising with 50-foot clear heights and 14 exterior docks. Karis Stockyards, developed by Karis Industrial, sits embedded in Chicago's food ecosystem in a way that newer suburban product simply cannot replicate. The project is one piece of a larger story playing out across Chicagoland: a cold storage market in the middle of a structural reset where mod-
ern purpose-built facilities are pulling away from an aging inventory that has dominated the landscape for decades.
nearly 65% to just 589,000 square feet underway. On the surface, the sector looks like it is cooling. The reality on the ground is considerably more nuanced.
The numbers tell part of the story. According to research from NAI Hiffman Director of Research Denes Juhasz, Chicagoland cold storage vacancy climbed to 7.6% in the first quarter of 2026, up from roughly 3% a year earlier, while construction activity pulled back
“Cold storage is at a fascinating inflection point — moving from a niche industrial category to something COLD STORAGE (continued on page 8)