FORT WORTH-AllianceTexas, a footprint for many CRE firsts in North Texas, has landed yet another. Not only will it be the home base for a startup passenger and cargo air charter company, but the win also makes it the first operator of its type to be based at Fort Worth Alliance Airport.
Construction on Peregrine Point LLC’s 58,800-sf office and two connected hangars got under way yesterday on a 6.5-acre ground-leased tract along Heritage Parkway at the southeastern end of the airport. Peregrine Point, led by general manager Randy Taylor, set up shop about three months ago in temporary space at AllianceTexas.
“They were looking at different points around the country and selected Alliance,” says Bill Burton, senior vice president of Hillwood, the mastermind behind the 17,000-acre AllianceTexas. He tells GlobeSt.com that 15 employees have been hired to date and that is expected to double as the operator shifts into high gear in August. The company is a mix of pilots and technicians from several US cities.
The 58,800 sf will be outfitted with 10,000 sf of corporate headquarters space and the balance will be hangars for one Boeing 737-700C and a Gulfstream 450 aircraft. The barrel-vaulted hangars will have stair-stepped roofs, 48-foot high doors and a 14-inch thick foundation. The project’s full cost has yet to be determined. Hillwood Construction is the general contractor. It was designed by RGA Architects from nearby Roanoke.
The site, with direct runway access, can be expanded if needed since there is vacant land on its southern boundary. Burton says Peregrine Point initially was discussing one hangar and then upped the plan to two. He says no expansion is in the immediate future, but the option is there.
“From an aviation standpoint, Fort Worth Alliance Airport is a full-service, 24-hour facility, while the City of Fort Worth and Hillwood have created a tremendous business atmosphere at Alliance that allows companies to grow and prosper,” Taylor says in a press release. Its Boeing 737 can be converted from a 55-seat European business class configuration to a seven-pallet, 35,000-pound configuration.