KENT, Wash. — Cowboy Space, an aerospace and advanced manufacturing firm, has leased a 291,035-square-foot industrial building at 7650 S. 228th St. and plans to convert the property into a specialized manufacturing site to support space and rocket development. The landlord is CenterPoint, and Thad Mallory and Taylor Hoff of Newmark represented the owner in the lease.
What is changing at the site
The building, most recently occupied by Costco and originally developed as a distribution facility, will undergo a series of tenant- and landlord-funded capital improvements to prepare it for aerospace manufacturing. Planned upgrades include:
- New office construction to support engineering, administrative and operations staff.
- Power and ventilation upgrades to meet the electrical and HVAC loads typical of advanced manufacturing and propulsion-related work.
- Enhanced security measures appropriate for aerospace supply chains and restricted-access facilities.
- Flooring improvements to support heavy equipment, material handling and clean-process areas.
Jobs and local economic impact
The lease is expected to bring approximately 300 jobs to the region’s aerospace industry. That figure was provided as part of reporting on the transaction. While the announcement does not break down positions by type, standard aerospace conversions of this scale typically include a mix of production technicians, machinists, engineers, safety and facilities staff, and administrative roles. The arrival of an advanced manufacturing tenant of this size will affect local labor demand, supplier relationships and logistics patterns in Kent and the surrounding South King County industrial corridor.
How the site fits into Kent’s industrial landscape
Located about 20 minutes south of Seattle, Kent sits along a key manufacturing and distribution spine in the Puget Sound region. The property’s prior life as a distribution center and its recent occupancy by a major retailer mean the site already has heavy-duty loading, yard space and structural capacity, attributes valuable to an aerospace manufacturer converting a warehouse to production use. The conversion will require retooling those attributes for precision manufacturing rather than fast-moving retail distribution.
The transaction illustrates two parallel trends affecting Kent: first, the repurposing of large industrial shells for higher-value manufacturing; second, continued diversification of the region’s aerospace ecosystem beyond traditional prime contractors. For Kent, that can translate into higher-wage local jobs and increased demand for skilled trades and technical training.
“a specialized advanced manufacturing operation supporting space and rocket development”
Key facts at a glance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tenant | Cowboy Space |
| Address | 7650 S. 228th St., Kent, Wash. |
| Size | 291,035 square feet |
| Landlord | CenterPoint |
| Brokers | Thad Mallory and Taylor Hoff, Newmark |
| Estimated jobs | Approx. 300 |
Local officials, workforce agencies and community colleges commonly work with new large employers to align training pipelines with hiring needs. While the lease announcement does not list specific workforce programs or timelines, the scale of the project means area institutions in South King County may have an incentive to coordinate with Cowboy Space as build-out and hiring proceed.
For Kent residents, two practical impacts to watch for over the coming months will be construction activity — including utility and interior build-outs — and a change in truck and employee traffic patterns around the 228th Street corridor. The power and ventilation upgrades noted in the lease suggest phased construction that could extend for months as the site is retooled from a distribution footprint to an aerospace production environment.
This transaction signals continued demand for large industrial spaces in Kent and the broader Puget Sound region, particularly from industries that need substantial floor area and robust utilities. As Cowboy Space moves into the facility and begins hiring and site work, local government and workforce partners will need to track project milestones to maximize the economic benefit for Kent residents.
