FedEx Freight is building on former Lexmark land

FedEx Freight is stepping up its presence in Lexington, although the company won’t say by how much.

A site formerly owned by Lexmark off Newtown Pike near New Circle Road is the construction site for an expanded FedEx Freight complex, FedEx spokeswoman Lauren Doll confirmed Friday.

“The site was chosen because of its ease of access to major highways, proximity to customers and a strong local community work force,” Doll said.

The new FedEx complex “will allow us to continue as the LTL industry leader” — LTL means “less than truckload,” or small packages and freight between 150 and 20,000 pounds — “as FedEx Freight Priority has the fastest published transit times of any nationwide LTL service,” Doll said.

FedEx would not say how big the new complex, now under construction, will be or how much it will cost. FedEx Freight now operates a complex at 2451 Leestown Road.

Property parcels of about 56 acres on Setzer Way and Freight Boulevard changed hands in October, with Setzer Properties paying Lexmark International $6.1 million for the acreage. The land is zoned light industrial.

Setzer Properties in Lexington has built FedEx projects in cities including Tupelo, Miss.; Lakeville, Minn.; Louisville; Fairbanks, Alaska; Del Rio, Texas; West Portland, Oregon; and Alexandria, La.

Brett Setzer, who founded Setzer Properties in 1989 and its primary owner, CEO and president, did not return a call seeking comment.

FedEx competitor United Parcel Service announced a $106 million expansion of its ground hub in Lexington in July. That project was estimated to cost $1.6 million for land, $37 million for building construction and $67 million for equipment.

This story was originally published February 6, 2017 at 2:27 PM with the headline "FedEx Freight is building on former Lexmark land."