Nashville – ever straining to be the “greenest city in the Southeast” – will soon see construction start on the area’s first LEED-certified industrial district.

Holladay Properties is readying its $8 million Ameriplex at Elm Hill, an office warehouse facility that will eventually offer tenants 260,000 square feet worth of space specifically designed to reduce operating cost. Construction is targeted to start this summer, with a first phase completion date in late 2009.

With a combination of natural lighting, light dimming systems, reflective roofing and HVAC systems, Indiana-based Holladay – which in December sold a business park near downtown – is looking to maximize occupant efficiency to impact overhead. The facility can house tenants from 9,000 to 135,000 square feet. 

The site also features build-out space, a drive-in access, docks and a 170-foot truck court.

"Too often, the economic benefits of sustainable development are overlooked. Certainly it is important to build environmentally-responsible structures, and the long-term cost savings associated with LEED-Certified buildings are particularly attractive for businesses seeking to reduce overhead," Holladay Senior Vice President Tom Gibson said in a release.

Colliers Turley Martin Tucker’s Ronnie Wenzler is handling the property’s leasing.