Burlington Industrial Real Estate
Burlington Industrial Space for Lease and Sale
Burlington sits where three major highways converge - the QEW, Highway 403, and Highway 407 - making it one of the most strategically located industrial markets in the western GTA. For tenants and buyers priced out of Mississauga or Oakville, Burlington offers a compelling combination of multi-highway access, established industrial inventory, and lease rates that run consistently below its eastern neighbours. The market attracts logistics operators, manufacturers, and distribution users who need Golden Horseshoe coverage without paying Mississauga rents.
Or call directly: (647) 740-7500
Harry Makkar
Industrial Broker · Colliers International
Discuss Your Burlington Requirement
No obligation · Responds personally · Confidential
Burlington Industrial Market: Current Snapshot
Burlington’s industrial market offers more options than Oakville with better highway access than Hamilton - a positioning that consistently attracts tenants seeking a western GTA location at rates below Mississauga. Availability in Burlington runs in the 6-to-8% range, reflecting a mix of older and mid-vintage buildings across the QEW and 403 corridors. Lease rates from $14 to $16 PSF represent a meaningful discount to Oakville ($16.39 PSF) and a significant one to Mississauga’s premium corridors (up to $19.21 PSF), while still delivering equivalent highway access to the 403/407/QEW interchange.
More options than Oakville; genuine tenant leverage
Below Oakville and Mississauga; above Hamilton
QEW, Highway 403, and Highway 407 all converge in Burlington
Below Oakville ($391 PSF); strong long-term hold
Burlington Industrial Corridors: Rates and Availability
Burlington’s industrial base clusters along the QEW/Plains Road corridor and the Highway 403/Appleby interchange. The Plains Road corridor contains the city’s oldest and most varied industrial stock - a range of building vintages from 1960s manufacturing facilities to mid-2000s distribution buildings, with unit sizes from small bays to 100,000+ SF. The 403/Appleby area contains newer product with better truck court specifications and is the preferred zone for larger logistics and distribution requirements.
| Corridor | Availability Rate | Asking Net Rent |
|---|---|---|
| Burlington (QEW / Plains Road Corridor) | 6–8% | $14–16 PSF |
| Burlington (Highway 403 / Appleby) | 6–8% | $14–15 PSF |
| Burlington (overall) | 6–8% | $14–16 PSF |
Estimated ranges based on current market conditions in the western GTA.
QEW / 403 / 407 Convergence: Why Burlington’s Position Matters
No other industrial market in southern Ontario sits at the intersection of three major highway corridors the way Burlington does. The QEW connects east to Oakville, Mississauga, and Toronto and west to Hamilton and the Niagara Peninsula. Highway 403 provides direct access north to Highway 401 at Mississauga and south to Hamilton. Highway 407 ETR runs east across the entire GTA to Durham Region without traffic lights or toll booths at peak hours. For distribution operations with GTA-wide and Golden Horseshoe delivery requirements, Burlington’s central position in this highway network is a genuine operational advantage.
The Overflow Market: Who Moves to Burlington
Burlington consistently absorbs tenants who started their search in Mississauga or Oakville and found availability, pricing, or building specifications that did not match their requirement. This is not a second-tier market - it is a rational alternative for operations where the exact postal code matters less than the highway access point. Logistics companies, manufacturing businesses, and cold storage operators have all found Burlington to be the right answer when the tighter western markets could not deliver the right building at the right economics.
Manufacturing Base: Burlington’s Industrial Identity
Burlington has historically supported a higher proportion of manufacturing tenants than the logistics-dominated Brampton and Mississauga corridors. The city’s industrial zoning accommodates heavier industrial uses, and the building stock - particularly along the older Plains Road corridor - includes facilities with the power capacity, floor loading, and ceiling heights that manufacturing users require. For buyers and tenants with manufacturing requirements that logistics parks cannot accommodate, Burlington’s mixed industrial stock provides options that are increasingly scarce in the premium markets to the east.
Buying in Burlington: The Value Case
Freehold industrial in Burlington trades at a discount to Oakville ($391 PSF) and the GTA average of $333 PSF, reflecting the market’s slightly higher availability and the proportion of older building stock. For owner-occupiers and investors who are acquiring on a long time horizon, that discount represents value in a corridor whose multi-highway position is structural - it does not change when a new industrial park opens in Brampton. The land constraint is real, and the location will be just as strategically positioned in 20 years as it is today.
Buying Industrial Property in Burlington
Burlington industrial ownership offers a value entry point into a strategically positioned western GTA market. Freehold buildings in the QEW and 403 corridors trade at a discount to Oakville and Mississauga while sitting within the same three-highway network. For owner-operators who require Golden Horseshoe access and want to eliminate lease renewal risk, Burlington represents one of the better capital allocation decisions in the western GTA - combining location permanence with acquisition economics that are more favourable than the premium markets to the east.
Harry Makkar covers Burlington actively through both the Colliers International platform and the Zonado marketplace. Off-market transactions in Burlington do occur - particularly for owner-occupiers who prefer a direct sale process over a formal listing campaign. Buyers registered through the Zonado network have accessed those conversations before they reached the open market.
Tenant Representation in Burlington
Burlington’s availability in the 6-to-8% range gives tenants more genuine negotiating leverage than Oakville or Mississauga. Landlords in a market with options are more motivated to provide inducements - free rent, tenant improvement allowances, and flexible term structures - than landlords in markets where the next qualified tenant is already waiting. But capturing that leverage requires knowing what the market has actually delivered on comparable transactions, not just what is listed.
Tenant representation costs nothing - fees are built into the landlord’s transaction budget in every case. What representation adds is a broker with current transaction data across Burlington, Oakville, Mississauga, and Hamilton - the full western GTA range - who can calibrate Burlington offers against real alternatives and negotiate from a position of complete market knowledge.
For tenants whose searches span Burlington and adjacent markets, Harry Makkar covers the full western GTA corridor and can run a parallel process across Oakville, Burlington, and Hamilton to find the best outcome, not just the first acceptable one.
The Zonado Advantage
Western GTA Coverage That Crosses Market Boundaries
Burlington searches rarely stay within Burlington. Most tenants and buyers with a western GTA requirement compare Burlington, Oakville, and Hamilton simultaneously - and the right answer depends on specific building requirements, not just geography. Harry Makkar’s coverage spans the entire western GTA corridor, with active listings and Zonado-network visibility across all three markets.
Colliers + Zonado Reach
Every listing Harry handles runs through both Colliers International’s national platform and Zonado.com. For Burlington landlords, that means the broadest qualified tenant exposure in the western GTA. For tenants, it means Harry sees incoming availability - including off-market - before it reaches formal listing.
150,000 Marketplace Users
Harry founded Zonado.com - one of Canada’s largest commercial real estate marketplaces, serving 150,000 users annually, built without external funding. That platform generates active buyer and tenant flow from the western GTA, giving landlords and sellers direct access to the most qualified pool of industrial prospects in the region.
Operational Due Diligence
Before commercial real estate, Harry managed logistics and distribution at Bell, Canada’s largest telecommunications company. He evaluates Burlington industrial buildings as an operator - dock positions relative to the QEW interchange, truck court depth, power supply, and clear height against racking requirements. The highway positioning means nothing if the building configuration does not support the operation.
Industrial Real Estate Across the GTA
Burlington is the midpoint of the western GTA industrial corridor, flanked by Oakville and Mississauga to the east and Hamilton to the west. The right market depends on your specific highway requirement, building specification, and budget. Explore adjacent markets below, or visit the GTA industrial space overview for a full market-wide comparison.
Oakville
QEW and Highway 407 corridor. No development pipeline; freehold values at $391 PSF.
Mississauga
GTA's most active industrial market. Rates from $16.27 to $19.21 PSF.
Brampton
Highway 410/427/407 corridor - one of Ontario's most active logistics markets.
Hamilton
Most cost-effective industrial market in the Golden Horseshoe. Rents from $11 PSF.
Milton
Highway 401 corridor. One of Ontario's fastest-growing industrial nodes.
Toronto
All Toronto corridors. Availability 2.9%, rates from $10.48 PSF.
Let’s Talk About Your Industrial Real Estate Need
Whether you’re searching for space, looking to sell or lease a property, or simply trying to understand what the current market means for your business.
Prefer to call? (647) 740-7500