HOUSTON – (Realty News Report) – PlaceMKR, an Austin-based commercial real estate firm focused on Texas and the Sun Belt, has entered the Houston market with the acquisition of Rankin Yards, a 17-building manufacturing campus in North Houston.
The crane-served campus, totaling 612,000 SF on 50 acres at 1310 Rankin Road just west of the Hardy Toll Road, was acquired from Wellbore Integrity Solutions in partnership with an alternative investment manager. Wellbore, an oilfield services company, will remain on the campus as a tenant.
Founded in 2018, PlaceMKR owns and develops industrial, office, multifamily, and retail properties.
“Houston, like many high-growth and high demand markets across the country, is experiencing steadily increasing demand for advanced manufacturing facilities,” said Christopher Cortese, co-founder of PlaceMKR. “Having tracked this structural demand shift closely, Rankin Yards checks every box for tenants who need serious power capacity and modern operational infrastructure. We are excited to enter the Houston market with such a strong asset and look forward to continuing to grow our footprint in the region.”
Industrial investments in Houston gained momentum in the first quarter with 372 Industrial and Flex properties totaling 11 million SF changing hands, according to Partners. A major sale was BGO’s acquisition of two buildings leased to Tesla’s at Stream Realty’s Empire West in Brookshire.
Rankin Yards stands to benefit from a tight market for manufacturing space. The North submarket had vacancy rate of 1.3% for manufacturing space in the first quarter, the lowest in the city, according to Partners Real Estate. The vacancy rate for Houston manufacturing space overall stood at 2.5%, while the vacancy rate for all types of industrial space was 7.5% in Q1.
The property has a 40-megawatt substation with the potential to increase power capacity and directly serve tenants seeking advanced manufacturing, energy services, or data center space, according to PlaceMKR.
The company plans to redevelop portions of the space to add 88,000 SF in rentable space. Having cranes already in place was key as retrofitting buildings can be difficult.
“This acquisition presents a compelling opportunity to invest in the current onshoring surge occurring in Houston,” said PlaceMKR co-founder Jesse Weber. “With every building overhead crane-served, an expandable on-site 40-megawatt substation and future availability of over 400,000 SF, we believe this property is well positioned to serve a community with significant advanced manufacturing space needs within one of Houston’s most active industrial corridors.
May 6, 2026, Realty News Report Copyright 2026
Photo credit: Rankin Yards, 1310 Rankin Road in North Houston. PlaceMKR courtesy photo.
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File: 17 Building Manufacturing Campus Sold