Douglas Becoming Major Tenant in Kilroy Center

Douglas Aircraft Co., which has more than 25,000 employees in its Long Beach plant, has leased 148,000 square feet in the first phase of the new Kilroy Airport Center at Long Beach Airport.

The firm’s Procurement, Operations Control and Training Systems and Services will occupy the entire 2-story, 97,300-square-foot Building 2 and part of the 3-story, 129,300-square-foot Building 1 beginning next month at the 52-acre complex at Lakewood Boulevard and the San Diego (405) Freeway.

The first phase is 98% rented, with leases valued at about $50 million, according to John B. Kilroy Jr., president of Kilroy Industries.

He added that the success of the first phase has prompted Kilroy to begin construction in August of two buildings totaling more than 400,000 square feet in the second phase. At build-out, the $250-million, 1.25-million-square-foot project will consist of nine buildings.

According to Douglas Aircraft’s Dave Conlon, the move is in response to rapid growth in three new programs: the MD-11 wide-cabin jetliner, the C-17 Airlifter transport plane for the Air Force and the Navy T-45 trainer aircraft.