Groundbreaking is expected to start in late spring and be completed in summer 2018 on Town Center One, a $30 million office building.
Developer VanTrust Real Estate Executive Vice President John Carey said no tenant has been signed but his group is working with several prospects for the Class A structure.
Developer JO Town Center 160 LLC has submitted site plans to the city for the 164,111-square-foot building on 10.51 acres along Gate Parkway.
Carey said the building will be five floors. The property is next to the FBI building.
VanTrust Real Estate, through JO Town Center 160 LLC, bought the property Aug. 31 from members of the Skinner family for $4.58 million.
VanTrust is based in Kansas City, Mo. Carey leads its regional office. He also is founding partner of Whitehall Realty Partners LLC.
Carey said previously the 4 million square feet of office space in the Gate Parkway area submarket is more than 96 percent leased, indicating a demand for Town Center One.
Alyona’s Coffee opens today along Atlantic
A transformed car wash in Southside opened today as Alyona’s Coffee Co., serving espressos, caramel lattes, cappuccinos, smoothies and more, along with regular drip and cold-brew coffee.
Sergey and Alyona Sushinskiy operate the venture at 7850 Atlantic Blvd., near Century 21 Drive.
Hours are 5:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 7 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday, and possibly later during the summer.
Sergey Sushinskiy owns the property, formerly the Crystal Clear Car Wash.
He said the coffee drive-thru and drink concept is common in the Northwest and Alyona is from Spokane, Wash.
Alyona’s soon will carry fresh pastries, cookies and a few varieties of sandwiches for breakfast and lunch, he said.
It will employ up to three workers at a time during busy hours.
“As far as more locations, I think we will let the customers decide. If they like our product and would like us to be in different parts of town, then we are all for it,” he said.
Best Buy preparing for new Town Center store
Best Buy’s planned relocation at St. Johns Town Center is in city review.
The company said in October it would move its consumer electronics and appliance store from The Markets at Town Center to The Strand at Town Center, expanding its space in the process.
Hoar Construction LLC applied for a permit to build-out the space at 4906 Town Center Parkway, No. 200, at a job cost of $2.3 million. The permit application and plans show the new location will be about 36,000 square feet.
Best Buy occupies about 31,200 square feet at 4873 Town Center Parkway.
A May site plan for The Strand shows Best Buy next to PGA Tour Superstore, one of the new tenants coming to town at the center.
Minneapolis-based Best Buy said in October it would relocate within the next year. The employees will move with the store.
A spokeswoman said then the larger store will allow it to add more and larger selections, such as kitchen and home appliances, TVs or other products and services.
Food note
• Owners Richard Rapp and BMR Dining Group LLC of Ponte Vedra Beach registered the Barrique of Avondale name with the state as of Jan. 3. Rapp is the agent for BMR Dining, whose members include him, Joseph Murphy of Ponte Vedra Beach and Gregory Bartolotta of Wantagh, N.Y. The three intend to open Barrique Kitchen & Wine Bar in Avondale this spring at 3563 St. Johns Ave.
@MathisKb
(904) 356-2466