Annacis Island Industrial Lock-In: How Doka Canada Secured 15 Acres While New Supply Craters 55%

Doka Canada Ltd. has executed a strategic relocation to 830 Carlisle Road on Annacis Island in Delta, signing a 10-year lease with Grosvenor Property Canada for a 15-acre site vacated by Russel Metals Inc. last fall. The Austria-based Umdasch Group subsidiary, which supplies formwork and scaffolding to construction projects across Metro Vancouver, will retrofit the existing 167,000-square-foot building to create its largest covered outdoor storage facility globally. The move doubles the company's regional footprint and includes plans to sublet portions to sibling firm At-Pac, addressing immediate operational needs without relocating to the periphery of the region. Occupancy began this month, marking a significant commitment to the Annacis Island industrial hub despite broader market constraints.

The deal arrives as Metro Vancouver's industrial vacancy rate has declined amid a severe supply contraction. According to Newmark Canada, industrial space under construction has dropped 55 percent from the 2022 peak, creating intense competition for large-format facilities. A "flight to quality" has occupiers prioritizing newer, more efficient buildings, driving record rents for modern distribution centers while older stock faces elevated vacancy. This bifurcation has left many industrial users caught between prohibitive costs for new space and unsuitable legacy properties. Doka's search initially dismissed the Russel Metals site as oversized and architecturally mismatched for traditional warehousing, illustrating the scarcity of appropriately sized parcels that forced creative solutions in a market where standard five- or eight-acre sites have virtually disappeared.