First Alert Forward: Gateway South development lands first major manufacturing tenant

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) - Good Developments Group announced this week that Fornidos, a Texas-based company, will be the first major manufacturing tenant at its Gateway South development.

Fornidos plans to break ground on a 55,000-square-foot manufacturing center two blocks from the former Crunden Martin manufacturing complex. The company, which makes components for efficient, low-cost homes, plans to set up shop early next year.

Fast, low-cost construction

Mark Lee, CEO of Fornidos, said the company is a building product company with a systematized method for building the shell, or building envelope, of a house.

The company makes components designed for efficient, low-cost home construction. Some models can be built for less than $100,000. The components can be finished with brick siding or other materials to match neighborhood character.

“It helps to make the construction envelope very efficient through componentization that is certified through the International Code Council,” Lee said. “Essentially, we make a LEGO block for building homes more efficiently.”

Fornidos is already advancing housing projects in the region. It plans to start production in temporary facilities downtown and in Hazelwood while it builds the new warehouse.

Lee said the process “takes a lot of the waste and time out of the system when building homes.”

He said some numbers show the U.S. is short by 4 million houses.

“Our goal is to take out cost in the build process with the goal of delivering affordable housing,” Lee said.

Lee said he sees a market in St. Louis.

“The City of St. Louis has 10,000 lots that the city owns through SLDC and LRA lots. Those lots are prime for development,” he said.

Asked whether people view these products as cheap or inferior, Lee said, “Actually, our homes are designed with the same materials used in any new construction. They’re designed to meet stringent conditions. I actually think you’re getting a better home.”

Lee previously lived in St. Louis. He said Gateway South is “an embodiment of what we’re trying to do.”

“St. Louis is a great hub with its ease of transportation and its proximity to markets that need affordable housing,” Lee said. “We’re already talking about what kinds of other developments would bolster this as a center for off-site construction nationally. We love to be part of a transformation.”

What’s next for the Crunden-Martin site

Greg Gleicher is the founder of Good Developments Group. The company is behind Gateway South, a plan to build 100 acres of mixed-use and manufacturing projects just south of the Arch in Chouteau’s Landing. The site has connections to the highway, river and rail.

A fire broke out last November in the historic central complex. It destroyed buildings built in the early 1900s. Much of the original complex has since been demolished.

The developer said the project is now focused on incremental progress.

“We started focusing on a handful of smaller buildings as opposed to a large multi-tenant building that creates the same base for the project,” Gleicher said.

Gleicher said the change doesn’t alter the overall plan for the project, except for what will go on the Crunden Martin site itself.

The two remaining buildings at the site will soon be demolished. Good Developments Group will work over the next year to attract more tenants.

“Now we just need to execute,” Gleicher said. “We have a handful of tenants lined up and in place. We need to get construction started.”