WHSE Partners will host a ceremony Nov. 30 at 10:30 a.m. to mark the start of a 144,000 square-foot, light-industrial facility located a couple miles east of Highway 99 in Madera city limits. Image via WHSE Partners

An industrial building project with some “uniqueness” to it will be breaking ground Tuesday in Madera.

WHSE Partners will host a ceremony Nov. 30 at 10:30 a.m. to mark the start of a 144,000 square-foot, light-industrial facility located a couple miles east of Highway 99 in Madera city limits. The so-called Madera Industrial WHSE (as is the case with the developer, it’s pronounced “warehouse”) is expected to be delivered by summer 2022 and will include 74 units of multi-tenant space with each unit just under 2,000 square feet.

The address is 325 S. Schnoor Ave. Total development cost is estimated at $22 million, with about $14 million pegged for construction alone.

A departure from the 1-million-square-foot fulfillment centers being built by mega retailers, Madera Industrial WHSE will cater to small companies that only need a couple thousand square feet and a small yard — that’s what makes it unique, said Bobby Kahn, executive director of the Madera County Economic Development Commission.

Target companies could include anything from startups to subcontractors.

“I think it’s an exciting addition to the city,” Kahn said.

Also, given that the project viability doesn’t hinge on one large tenant, it makes it a “relatively safe” investment, Kahn added.

Fresno-based DBKO Design + Build is the builder on the project, which was taken from design concept to groundbreaking in just 10 months, according to a news release.

The team behind WHSE Partners includes Chief Operating Officer Erin Volpp and Founder and CEO Rob Boese. Boese also founded Fresno-based Boese Commercial in 2013.

“WHSE Partners is excited to build and soon deliver a critical industrial component of Madera. The pro-business environment and central location of Madera make the city a dynamic partners in this project,” Boese said in a statement.