Harlingen moves forward on a new 70-acre industrial park

The Harlingen Economic Development Corporation is building out the underlying infrastructure for a 74-acre industrial park on the city’s north end after 10 years of planning. 

The new park sits along Interstate 69, between Primera and Roosevelt roads, and is earmarked for light-industrial projects, including fulfillment centers, logistics companies, and warehouses. It’s also situated near a residential neighborhood. 

In 2023, Harlingen EDC was awarded a $1.6 million grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration, which the city used to excavate a detention pond to alleviate flooding in the area. That project is almost complete. 

To build a buffer between the residential and industrial zone, the city created a walking trail and park space around the 5.3-acre retention pond as a community amenity, Harlingen EDC CEO Orlando Campos said. 

The first phase of the Roosevelt Industrial Park, a 55-acre swath across several tracts, is now underway after being approved by the Harlingen Planning and Zoning Commission earlier this week. 

“In the coming weeks, we are going to start working on the actual roadway and utility infrastructure within the industrial park,” Campos said. “We selected that site because it is right along Interstate 69E. When you look at the area immediately around the industrial park, there has been a cluster of logistics companies that have established operations nearby.”

Campos said there’s already been interest from several companies as potential tenants. 

“So we felt this would be a great location for those types of businesses or any other light-industrial businesses,” he said. “It’s not meant to be a heavy industrial type of park.” 

The EDC is already negotiating with a potential contractor to build the infrastructure, which is expected to take between six and nine months to complete.