Dallas-Fort Worth’s industrial headlines in 2026 are about a record-setting market working through a wave of big-box construction. But that story hides the part that matters most to a small business in North Dallas. The infill submarkets where you actually want to be, like the Richardson and Plano corridor, are some of the tightest in the metroplex, and almost nothing new is being built at the small end.
Plano’s small-warehouse market at a glance
Across the Q1 2026 brokerage reports, DFW’s overall industrial vacancy landed between roughly 8.3% (Cushman & Wakefield) and 9.0% (Lee & Associates), with Newmark at 8.8% and Matthews at 8.7%. Asking rents reached new highs, from about $8.71 per SF NNN (Cushman & Wakefield) to $10.14 to $10.24 NNN (Newmark, Matthews). On its face, a balanced market with plenty of space.
But the metro number blends two very different segments. The vacancy is concentrated in large, modern big-box buildings in outer submarkets where recent speculative deliveries pushed availability up. Strip those out and the infill North Dallas corridor looks nothing like the headline.
Why infill North Dallas is the tight spot
Every report that breaks DFW down by submarket says the same thing about the land-constrained infill areas: they are tight.
| Segment | Q1 2026 vacancy | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Richardson/Plano submarket | 5.8% | Cushman & Wakefield |
| Valwood/N Stemmons (infill) | 4.3% | Cushman & Wakefield |
| Flex / office-service centers | 6.0% | Cushman & Wakefield |
| DFW metro industrial overall | 8.3% to 9.0% | Cushman & Wakefield / Lee & Associates |
The reason is supply. DFW’s construction pipeline of roughly 31 to 33 million SF is dominated by big-box and build-to-suit product, with build-to-suit alone running about 36% of activity, the highest share since 2018 (Cushman & Wakefield). Land-constrained infill submarkets like Richardson and Plano see little new small-bay development. With DFW posting its strongest first quarter of leasing on record in Q1 2026, the smallest units stay in demand.
What it actually costs to lease near Plano
Warehouse space in the Richardson/Plano submarket asked around $10.42 per SF NNN in Q1 2026, with flex space across DFW averaging $12.88 per SF NNN (Cushman & Wakefield), both well above the metro warehouse average near $8.71 NNN. Newmark and Matthews put metro asking rents even higher at roughly $10.14 to $10.24 NNN as new product delivers.
Here is the catch most rent comparisons miss: those are triple-net (NNN) quotes. The headline number is just the base rent. On top of it you add CAM charges, property taxes, building insurance, and utilities, and you usually commit to a multi-year term on 5,000 SF or more. The real all-in cost is meaningfully higher than the sticker, and it is hard to predict year to year.
That is the gap WareSpace is built for. Instead of a base rent plus a stack of pass-through charges, a WareSpace unit is one flat price starting at $1,000/mo that already includes the loading dock, year-round HVAC, 24/7 access, and WiFi, on a short 6 to 12 month term. See current pricing or get an instant quote.
Where WareSpace fits in North Dallas
WareSpace Plano is now open at 700 E Plano Pkwy, just off US-75 and the President George Bush Turnpike and about 25 minutes from Downtown Dallas. It is positioned for North Dallas logistics, production, and fulfillment across Plano, Richardson, Allen, and Frisco, the exact infill corridor where the brokers measure the tightest vacancy.
WareSpace also covers the broader metroplex, with a location opening soon in Addison and buildings serving Fort Worth and the Mid-Cities. Browse everything on the Dallas-Fort Worth locations hub or book a tour.
Who’s renting small warehouse space near Plano
The demand the brokers describe, small and mid-sized and locally focused, is exactly the WareSpace tenant base across North Dallas:
- E-commerce and fulfillment brands that need to store, pick, and pack without a 3PL contract
- Contractors and trades that need secure storage plus a place to stage crews and materials
- Light manufacturing and assembly operations too big for a garage, too small for a NNN lease
- Local distribution serving Plano, Richardson, and the broader North Dallas corridor
This pattern holds across the country. For the national picture behind these local numbers, read The State of Micro-Bay Industrial Real Estate 2026.
Market figures in this report are drawn from publicly published Q1 2026 Dallas-Fort Worth industrial market reports by Cushman & Wakefield, Lee & Associates, Newmark, and Matthews. WareSpace pricing reflects all-inclusive monthly rates starting at $1,000/mo and is not directly comparable to triple-net asking rents.
