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Markets · Ports · Logistics
Savannah industrial land: data center, port and air-cargo demand
Savannah is converting 200 acres of Ocean Terminal to container-only use, adding 2,800 linear feet of berth, eight cranes and 2.0 million TEU at a $1.54 billion cost, with phase one in 2027 and phase two in 2028. Data as of Q2 2026. Industrial vacancy is 10.5%.
Key takeaways
- Ocean Terminal converts 200 acres to container-only with 2.0 million TEU of capacity at $1.54 billion, phase one 2027 and phase two 2028.
- Garden City Terminal already handles 7.5 million TEU, with a 90-acre transload facility rated at 400,000 TEU a year.
- July 2026 volume was 503,739 TEU, up 5.7%.
- Industrial vacancy is 10.5% with plus 1,602,268 square feet absorbed and $6.68 asking rent (Q2 2026).
A quarterly brief on powered land, port capacity and air-cargo gateways, plus the Powered Land and Gateway Pricing Benchmarks data file.
- Dollar per megawatt and dollar per acre benchmarks by market, with the substation-distance and voltage premiums applied
- Every committed United States port capacity opening from 2026 through 2035, with cost, TEU and date
- Airport-adjacent rent premiums by gateway, and the constraint map that drives them
- The named project pipeline: site, megawatts, developer, power source, status
- Sources and periods for every cell. Nothing unattributed.
Savannah in numbers
| Metric | Value | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Ocean Terminal conversion | 200 acres, 2,800 linear feet of berth, eight cranes, 2.0 million TEU, $1.54 billion | Phase one 2027, phase two 2028 |
| Hutchinson Island | More than 3.5 million TEU added | Mid-2030s |
| Garden City Terminal | 7.5 million TEU | Q2 2026 |
| Savannah Transload Facility | 90 acres, 400,000 TEU a year | Q2 2026 |
| Monthly volume | 503,739 TEU, up 5.7% | July 2026 |
| Brampton Road Connector | $126 million, truck turn times 31 minutes single and 51 minutes dual | Opened 15 July 2026 |
| Industrial vacancy | 10.5% | Q2 2026 |
| Industrial net absorption, year to date | plus 1,602,268 sq ft | Q2 2026 |
| Industrial asking rent | $6.68 per sq ft | Q2 2026 |
What buyers are paying for here
The three premiums that set data center land value do not price this market. Savannah is a port market, and the equivalent variables are berth capacity, drayage time and the delivery date of the capacity being added.
What buyers are paying for is position against 2.0 million TEU of new Ocean Terminal capacity in 2027 and 2028, plus more than 3.5 million TEU from Hutchinson Island by the mid-2030s, on top of 7.5 million TEU already moving through Garden City Terminal.
Drayage time is the local premium and it is now measurable. The $126 million Brampton Road Connector opened on 15 July 2026 with truck turn times of 31 minutes single and 51 minutes dual. Parcels that inherit those turn times are the ones being bid; parcels that do not are competing against 10.5% vacancy.
Apply the published substation-distance and service-voltage premiums to a parcel in Savannah with the powered land premium calculator.
What is under construction within 100 miles
Ocean Terminal is converting 200 acres to container-only operation with 2,800 linear feet of berth, eight additional cranes and 2.0 million TEU of capacity at a $1.54 billion cost. Phase one lands in 2027 and phase two in 2028.
Hutchinson Island adds more than 3.5 million TEU by the mid-2030s.
Garden City Terminal is already at 7.5 million TEU and is served by the 90-acre Savannah Transload Facility, rated at 400,000 TEU a year.
The $126 million Brampton Road Connector opened on 15 July 2026. July 2026 volume was 503,739 TEU, up 5.7%.
The constraint
Industrial vacancy of 10.5% is the legacy of speculative development that front-ran the port's own expansion.
This is a supply-digestion market. The capacity being added is real and dated, but the buildings were delivered ahead of it, so the near-term rent story is weaker than the port story.
For a landowner that means timing is the whole negotiation. Plus 1,602,268 square feet of year-to-date net absorption at $6.68 asking rent is a market working through inventory, not one bidding for new sites. Sellers with 2027 and 2028 flexibility are positioned against the Ocean Terminal phases; sellers who need a 2026 close are selling into the digestion.
Who covers Savannah
Brad Cohen covers Savannah for Landside Partners. Send one parcel and he will return a written read on what it is worth against the demand above, using data as of Q2 2026.
No fee. One parcel. One page. Usually back within five business days.
A quarterly brief on powered land, port capacity and air-cargo gateways, plus the Powered Land and Gateway Pricing Benchmarks data file.
- Dollar per megawatt and dollar per acre benchmarks by market, with the substation-distance and voltage premiums applied
- Every committed United States port capacity opening from 2026 through 2035, with cost, TEU and date
- Airport-adjacent rent premiums by gateway, and the constraint map that drives them
- The named project pipeline: site, megawatts, developer, power source, status
- Sources and periods for every cell. Nothing unattributed.
This research was produced by Landside Partners, a commercial real estate research and advisory firm working with owners of industrial land across North America on data center, seaport and air-cargo demand. To have a specific parcel assessed, contact Brad Cohen at Landside Partners.
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