Watson Land Co

Industrial developer Watson Land Co. said it has acquired a 32-acre parcel near the giant Kaiser Commerce Center in the Inland Empire for $7.3 million in what will be the company's first real estate development outside its traditional base in the South Bay. The San Bernardino County site with frontage along the 10 Freeway near Etiwanda Avenue can accommodate a combination of industrial, office, retail and hotel development.

Increased shipping traffic at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach has prompted developer Watson Land Co. to build an $80-million industrial complex in Chino on speculation of finding renters at a later time. Watson land will erect three structures housing a combined total of more than 1 million square feet on a 49-acre parcel at Kimball and Mountain avenues that it assembled over the last year, Vice President Craig B. Halverson said. Construction will begin in the second quarter of 2013.

William T. Huston, chairman of Watson Land Co., one of Southern California's oldest and largest real estate companies, will retire this month after leading the Carson-based firm for 40 years. During Huston's tenure, Watson grew from a 5,000-square-foot auto dealership in Wilmington to a large owner and operator of industrial parks.

William T. "Bill" Huston, former chairman of one of Southern California's oldest and largest real estate companies, died Wednesday at Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles. He was 83. Huston, who headed Watson Land Co. for 40 years, was one of the builders who transformed Los Angeles from a largely pastoral region into a metropolis in the decades after World War II. When Huston took over the Carson-based company in 1963, its primary asset was about 1,200 acres in the South Bay that dated to a Spanish land grant.

Watson Land Co. has leased nearly 1 million square feet of industrial and office space in the South Bay since the beginning of 1988, compared to 1.1 million square feet leased during all of last year. "As a result of this activity, we plan to develop more than 750,000 square feet of new industrial space this year," according to Richard M. Cannon, president of the Carson-based developer.

Watson Land Co. has broken ground on 424,000 square feet of industrial buildings in Carson in the latest phase of the Dominguez Technology Center. The $15-million project comprises one building of more than 247,000 square feet and another of more than 177,000 square feet, said Kirk Johnson, a Watson Land vice president. The company expects to complete construction of the two buildings in the fall.

Watson Land Co. said it has secured foreign trade zone designation from the Commerce Department for the 900 acres and 8 million square feet of office, technology and industrial space in its Carson business centers. The properties have been incorporated into the Port of Los Angeles' existing Foreign Trade Zone 202, one of 11 such zones in California, it said. The new trade zone properties include Watson Industrial Center South, Watson Corporate Center and Dominguez Technology Center.

Watson Land Co., one of Southern California's oldest and largest real estate companies, has named Robert W. Huston chairman. A real estate attorney and partner in the Los Angeles law firm Booth, Mitchel & Strange, Huston has served on Watson's board for six years. He is the 35-year-old son of William T. Huston, who stepped down as chairman in June after leading the company for 40 years.

Richard M. Cannon, president and chief executive of Watson Land Co., is retiring after leading the Carson-based company for 18 years. The board of directors of the private real estate investment trust named as his successor Bruce A. Choate, who has been the company's chief financial officer since 1991. Cannon, 61, had been with Irvine Co. for 16 years as a vice president and corporate officer prior to joining Watson. He also served on the boards of the Los Angeles Economic Development Corp.

Watson Land Co. will break ground Wednesday on three buildings totaling more than 450,000 square feet at the company's Dominguez Technology Center in Carson. It is one of the relatively few large industrial developments underway in a Los Angeles County market where demand for industrial space is at historic highs. The buildings are the first of 3.

Watson Land Co., one of Southern California's oldest and largest real estate companies, has named Robert W. Huston chairman. A real estate attorney and partner in the Los Angeles law firm Booth, Mitchel & Strange, Huston has served on Watson's board for six years. He is the 35-year-old son of William T. Huston, who stepped down as chairman in June after leading the company for 40 years.

William T. Huston, chairman of Watson Land Co., one of Southern California's oldest and largest real estate companies, will retire this month after leading the Carson-based firm for 40 years. During Huston's tenure, Watson grew from a 5,000-square-foot auto dealership in Wilmington to a large owner and operator of industrial parks.

Richard M. Cannon, president and chief executive of Watson Land Co., is retiring after leading the Carson-based company for 18 years. The board of directors of the private real estate investment trust named as his successor Bruce A. Choate, who has been the company's chief financial officer since 1991. Cannon, 61, had been with Irvine Co. for 16 years as a vice president and corporate officer prior to joining Watson. He also served on the boards of the Los Angeles Economic Development Corp.

Industrial developer Watson Land Co. said it has acquired a 32-acre parcel near the giant Kaiser Commerce Center in the Inland Empire for $7.3 million in what will be the company's first real estate development outside its traditional base in the South Bay. The San Bernardino County site with frontage along the 10 Freeway near Etiwanda Avenue can accommodate a combination of industrial, office, retail and hotel development.

Watson Land Co. has broken ground on 424,000 square feet of industrial buildings in Carson in the latest phase of the Dominguez Technology Center. The $15-million project comprises one building of more than 247,000 square feet and another of more than 177,000 square feet, said Kirk Johnson, a Watson Land vice president. The company expects to complete construction of the two buildings in the fall.

Watson Land Co. said it has secured foreign trade zone designation from the Commerce Department for the 900 acres and 8 million square feet of office, technology and industrial space in its Carson business centers. The properties have been incorporated into the Port of Los Angeles' existing Foreign Trade Zone 202, one of 11 such zones in California, it said. The new trade zone properties include Watson Industrial Center South, Watson Corporate Center and Dominguez Technology Center.

Increased shipping traffic at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach has prompted developer Watson Land Co. to build an $80-million industrial complex in Chino on speculation of finding renters at a later time. Watson land will erect three structures housing a combined total of more than 1 million square feet on a 49-acre parcel at Kimball and Mountain avenues that it assembled over the last year, Vice President Craig B. Halverson said. Construction will begin in the second quarter of 2013.

William T. Huston, president and chief executive officer of Watson Land Co., is a passionate spokesman on the subject of excessive development fees. A longtime proponent of reasonable and equitable assessments, he worries about local government's reliance on developers to finance new public improvements--a situation he believes could result in serious economic consequences.

Watson Land Co. will break ground Wednesday on three buildings totaling more than 450,000 square feet at the company's Dominguez Technology Center in Carson. It is one of the relatively few large industrial developments underway in a Los Angeles County market where demand for industrial space is at historic highs. The buildings are the first of 3.

Watson Land Co. has leased nearly 1 million square feet of industrial and office space in the South Bay since the beginning of 1988, compared to 1.1 million square feet leased during all of last year. "As a result of this activity, we plan to develop more than 750,000 square feet of new industrial space this year," according to Richard M. Cannon, president of the Carson-based developer.