While the Inland Empire and Los Angeles’ South Bay are two of the nation’s top industrial markets, one construction firm is setting up shop in the high desert of Northern L.A. County. 

Reno, Nev.-based Jensen Infrastructure has paid $46 million to acquire 100 acres in Lancaster, Calif., from Northpoint Development. Jensen plans to build a 400,000-square-foot precast concrete manufacturing facility on the property at the corner of 30th Street East and East Avenue G, and has retained Proficiency Capital as the developer. 3G Capital Partners is providing undisclosed construction financing. 

JLL’s Hunter McDonald represented Jensen in the land acquisition. Project construction is set to begin before the end of next month, with completion slated for March 2027. 

“This type of investment is a testament to the dynamic Southern California economy,” McDonald said in a statement. “Upon completing an extensive investigation of the greater Southern California industrial markets, Jensen’s selection of Lancaster was partly due the City of Lancaster’s pro-business and pro-jobs approach and its logistical proximity to L.A.”

L.A. County’s often overlooked Antelope Valley, which contains Lancaster, sits just north of the San Gabriel Mountains and just south of the Kern County border. The 100-acre site in Lancaster is about 70 miles north of Downtown Los Angeles. 

Antelope Valley is becoming a growing alternative for developers due to the low vacancy rates in the Inland Empire. It’s one of L.A. County’s smallest industrial markets, with about 8.3 million square feet of existing inventory, yet it has the most amount of projects in the pipeline by far in the county with nearly 1.3 million square feet under development, per a recent regional market report by Avison Young. Still, the Antelope Valley also has by far the highest direct vacancy rate in L.A. County, at a blistering 19.6 percent. 

Nick Trombola can be reached at ntrombola@commercialobserver.com.