Talks have begun to develop the next phase of the 170-acre Seaport Logistics Complex at the Port of Oakland.

Port Commissioners recently gave the go-ahead to the latest phase, authorizing exclusive negotiations between the port and industrial real estate developer CenterPoint Properties.

“We’re pleased to engage with one of the most respected names in industrial development,” said Maritime Director John Driscoll, the port’s lead negotiator. “And we’re excited to realize our vision for the Seaport Logistics Complex.” The complex “will act as a magnet to attract additional container cargo to the port.”

The port and developer have been given six months to reach agreement on building a portion of the complex. The new project would encompass 20 acres of port property on land acquired by the port on the site of the Oakland Army Terminal, a military logistics facility that was decommissioned in 1999.

It will be adjacent to Phase One of the Seaport Logistics Complex, a 13-track rail yard that’s nearing completion and include transloading and cross-dock facilities where shippers can readily transfer containers between ships to trains.

CenterPoint, a major developer of transportation-related real estate projects, would build and lease the facilities to tenants involved in international logistics.

Subsequent phases of development, CenterPoint said, will include the construction of a regional logistics hub with distribution centers and warehouses sited at the complex.