Service Areas
Industrial Conversion on the Pueblo Mall Corridor
One floor, 575,000 square feet: that is the footprint of the biggest box on Pueblo's north side, and it is the kind of space that makes owners ask whether a retail shell can be turned into something that makes freight money. We convert and rebuild large single-story buildings along the Pueblo Mall corridor for fulfillment, light manufacturing, storage and service users, with new docks, new floors and new truck access where the old plan only expected cars.
The mall at 3429 Dillon Drive opened in 1976 and has since lost tenants. A trampoline park moved into a former sporting-goods space in 2019, the same year a department store closed, and a fabric retailer announced in February 2025 that it would leave. Each vacancy is an opportunity to think about use, and each requires a careful look at structure, roof, utilities and parking before anyone signs a lease.
The corridor's access is better than its tenants' history suggests. State Highway 47 begins at a single-point urban interchange with I-25 exit 101, US 50, US 85 and US 87, and I-25 exit 104 serves Dillon Drive and Drew Dix Parkway. A truck can reach the interstate quickly, which is why the corridor deserves a second look from distribution users.
What a big box can become
A large retail shell can become a logistics fulfillment center, a light assembly plant, a storage building for parts or a service facility. Each use asks different questions. A fulfillment operator wants clear height, dock doors and a flat floor, while an assembler wants power, compressed air and a floor that tolerates equipment.
The right answer depends on the structure already there. Many retail boxes have low ceilings, light roof loads and column grids set for display, not racking. We study the frame before suggesting a layout, and if the numbers do not work we say so, even if that means recommending a new warehouse building on open ground instead.
Highway frontage and the SH 47 connection
State Highway 47 crosses Union Pacific tracks and Pueblo Mall Drive and has an eastbound ramp to Mel Harmon Drive serving the mall. For a freight user that is both a plus and a puzzle. Interchange access is good, but the local streets around the mall were laid out for cars and may need wider turns, new curb cuts and stronger pavement before semitrailers can use them.
North of downtown the corridor also sits close to the State Highway 47 corridor, which has more open land for new industrial construction. An owner choosing between converting a box and building new should price both, and we will do that side by side.
Where conversion money goes
The roof, the floor and the utilities decide whether conversion pays. A low-slope roof may need new insulation and drainage, a thin slab may need to be cut and replaced where racks or equipment will stand and electrical service may need to double or triple. Fire protection is another line, since storage commodities raise sprinkler demand beyond what retail required.
Parking lots are a hidden asset. A mall lot has acres of pavement, and sections can become truck courts or trailer storage if the base is thick enough. We core and test the pavement before promising anything. Owners can pair that work with truck courts and trailer yards and dock aprons and loading zones at the building edge.
Converting without losing the lease
If part of the building is still leased, we phase the work to leave tenants alone. Demolition starts at a vacant end with dust barriers, trucks come in through a separate entrance and noisy work happens at night when possible. We keep the schedule visible to the property manager so there are no surprises for tenants. Older, smaller buildings downtown, such as those in the Union Avenue district, need a different phasing plan, and we write each one separately.
For a full conversion, the sequence runs from demolition and structural repair to new utilities, floor work, dock cuts, roof and interior finish. We order long-lead items such as dock levelers and electrical gear as soon as the layout is fixed, since they often decide the opening date.
Services that make a retail box industrial
Conversion often involves refrigerated dock retrofits for food and pharmaceutical users, mezzanines, catwalks and platforms for picking and packing, and industrial office buildouts for staff. We coordinate them in one schedule.
The corridor also pulls in service uses such as fleet repair shops and equipment storage. We build those to the same standards, with floor drains, oil interceptors and heavy slabs where required.
How we judge a big-box conversion
We begin with a feasibility walk. It covers the roof, the structure, the utilities, the parking and the access, with photos and a written summary. Owners get a short list of what is good, what is a problem and what it costs to fix. If the building is not a good candidate, we say so.
When the numbers work, we follow with a design-build package that fixes cost and schedule early, and we stay on site until the first pallet moves. That approach saves owners from the common mistake of starting a conversion and finding out in the middle that the structure cannot carry the new use.
Thinking about a large vacant building?
Send us the address, the use and the date you need to be open. We will walk the building, check the structure and utilities and give you a candid read on whether to convert or build new. For plants on the south side, see the logistics work we do near the mill.
Questions and Answers
Can a former retail box be converted into a distribution building?
Sometimes. It depends on clear height, column spacing, roof load, floor thickness and the ability to cut dock openings. We check each item with an engineer before suggesting a layout. If the building cannot carry racking or truck traffic, we will tell you before you sign a lease or buy.
How do trucks reach the Pueblo Mall area from the interstate?
State Highway 47 begins at the I-25 exit 101 interchange, and exit 104 serves Dillon Drive and Drew Dix Parkway. The surface streets near the mall were laid out for cars, so we look at turning radii, curb cuts and pavement strength for semitrailers before recommending a truck plan.
Can the mall's parking lot be used for trailer storage?
Often, but not always. We take cores of the pavement, check the base and the drainage and then decide whether it can carry heavy loads. Thin retail pavement can fail quickly under loaded trailers, so some sections need reinforcement or replacement.
What does fire protection look like after conversion?
Storage uses usually require more sprinkler density than retail. We have the fire protection engineer review the planned commodity and rack heights, then confirm water supply and pumps. If the existing service cannot support it, the cost of a larger main or a pump is part of the feasibility study.
Do you handle partial conversions in a building with remaining tenants?
Yes. We phase the work, separate the construction zone, keep utilities running for tenants and schedule loud work after hours. A written phasing plan goes to the property manager before demolition begins.
Related
Ready to talk about your project?
Tell us about the site, the heaviest loads and the date that matters. We will review the scope and follow up with next steps for your Pueblo project.