Frederick County's Growth Spurs New Build-To-Suit Industrial Project

Industrial developer Matan Cos. is marketing a 550K SF build-to-suit warehouse complex that can accommodate up to three buildings on 40 acres in Frederick County, company officials said.

The opportunity, called Crosspointe Industrial, is a testament to Frederick County’s evolution from a sleepy exurb of Washington, D.C., to a live-work-play destination and diversified economic hub based on biotechnology and advanced manufacturing. Now the data center boom is set to give the region yet another tailwind, Matan Cos. principal JP Matan said.

“Frederick is a place where people want to be,” said Matan, who oversees day-to-day leasing activities for the company's portfolio, including all office, lab and industrial properties. “It has a historic downtown that’s on par with Georgetown or Old Town Alexandria in terms of charm, food scene and community feel. People live here, shop here and come here.”

The population of Frederick County recently crossed the 300,000 threshold, said Brad Benna, director of leasing at Matan Cos. 

“Frederick is attracting people from a lot of different areas and regions because it provides a good quality of life,” Benna said. “In terms of quality-of-life metrics, Frederick has been winning awards for years.” 

From an infrastructure and location perspective, the county has a lot to offer, he said. Frederick is a 45-minute drive to D.C. or Baltimore and is near three international airports and the Port of Baltimore. All of these factors should make Crosspointe attractive to relocating or expanding companies, Benna said.

Research Hub 

Frederick County, located on the I-270 technology corridor that stretches into Northern Virginia, is home to Fort Detrick, where a campus of the National Cancer Institute, as well as all of the Cabinet-level agencies involved in biodefense research, are located and have continuously operated since the end of World War II.

“The region has one of the highest per capita rates of Ph.D.s and tertiary degrees in the nation,” Benna said.

This concentration of human capital sustains a cluster of 80-plus private sector biomedical research-focused companies, ranging from startups to established behemoths like AstraZeneca, Gilead Sciences and Thermo Fisher Scientific.

“It’s a self-perpetuating ecosystem,” Matan said. “Companies come here because they see other companies being successful here, and Crosspointe will both slipstream on that momentum and then contribute to it.”

Joining The Data Center Boom

More recently, the county has emerged as a data center hub.

In late 2024, Rowan Digital Infrastructure received approval for two data center projects on the site of what was previously known as the Quantum Loophole data center development site, a 2,200-acre campus in Buckeystown. The company was already building another data center project nearby.

Matan Cos. saw that the county’s dense mix of data center, biotech, advanced manufacturing and other tenants will drive demand for warehouse and logistics space and that businesses will look to Crosspointe as the place to meet their growing needs.

“It’s one of the few remaining standalone industrial sites in all of Frederick,” Matan said.

The site and product type are highly flexible and customizable, Benna said, adding that the entitlement process for Crosspointe is likely to begin later in the year.  

“Our tilt-up construction is versatile and can accommodate life sciences, advanced manufacturing or any number of other business types,” he said. “We cater to a full spectrum of user types, from basic to the most advanced, high-end tech uses.”

On June 3, Benna will speak at Bisnow’s Future of Frederick County event, which will explore how rapid growth in data centers, biotech, manufacturing and residential development is reshaping the region and driving investment. 

The Matan Way

Matan Cos., a family-owned and -operated firm since 1976, is a developer known for its ability to stick to agreed-upon timelines, which is critical for tenants eager to get online and in business.

One of the ways the company has differentiated itself is through its deep bench of in-house experts and longstanding relationships with local contractors and architects, said Brian Morris, the company’s director of entitlement.

“When you’re catering to Fortune 500 companies, the facades matter, the landscaping matters,” Morris said.

Matan’s development team has brought more than 5M SF and millions of dollars worth of Class-A warehouse space, bioresearch facilities and office space to Frederick County.

“We’re headquartered here, our teams are all here, and we’ve done it so many different times,” Matan said. “We know all the players, we know the processes, we know what needs to get done to get these things built.”

Matan, Benna and Morris credit the county’s elected officials for their long-term thinking, consistency and fairness in crafting a pro-business regulatory approach that also addresses the pain points of rapid growth. 

“The county and the city try to move hand in hand and communicate openly and to be responsive to the business community,” Matan said. “With all the uncertainty in the world today, it’s more important than ever for public and private to work together. We need to stay focused and united to preserve Frederick County’s momentum and nurture future growth, of which Crosspointe Industrial will be an important component.”

This article was produced in collaboration between Matan Cos. and Studio B. Bisnow news staff was not involved in the production of this content.

Studio B is Bisnow’s in-house content and design studio. To learn more about how Studio B can help your team, reach out to studio@bisnow.com.