Amazon.com might not be finished yet developing new centers in Jacksonville.
An Amazon executive sought a meeting with city building officials to talk about permitting an existing building for the company.
However, the executive, Steve Bear, canceled it and will reschedule later, according to city e-mails in late February. The location and type of center was not included.
Bear wanted to phase the work. The facility was described to be mostly automated and would need electrical, HVAC, conveyor, automation and racking systems.
With two large fulfillment centers under development and a 63,000-square-foot delivery station approved for build-out in Jacksonville, it appears an additional facility could be a sortation center.
The e-commerce retailer has not responded to emails for comment.
Seattle-based Amazon opens sortation centers, typically 200,000 to 300,000 square feet in size, to handle last-mile delivery service within the area. They employ 100-300 people.
One structure that seems to fit the size of a sortation center is a 237,000-square-foot industrial building available at 4948 Bulls Bay Highway in Westside Industrial Park.
Completed last year, the building offers 60 dock-high doors, a 32-foot clear ceiling height, a drive-in ramp and a 180-foot truck court, among other functions.
Landlord Peter Anderson declined comment when asked whether Amazon was a prospective tenant at the park.
Amazon is setting up a 1 million-square-foot fulfillment center for large consumer goods in West Jacksonville at Cecil Commerce Center and a multilevel, 2.4 million-square-foot center in Northwest Jacksonville for small items.
Those will create 2,700 jobs, according to city incentives legislation.
City Office of Economic Development Executive Director Kirk Wendland said through a city spokeswoman that Amazon has not submitted any requests to the office related to a sortation facility.
When asked about a possible sortation center at Westside Industrial Park, JAXUSA Partnership President Jerry Mallot said he could not comment.
However, regarding Amazon’s projects to date, he said, “We’re certainly pleased with all that is happening and we hope to see more.”
The first Amazon sortation center opened in July 2014 in Kent, Wash., to sort sealed packages for delivery to area post offices, for the “last mile” delivery to customers.
It also allowed Seattle members of the $99 Amazon Prime delivery service to speed up service.
A sortation center in Miami is example of how it would come to pass.
The Miami Herald reported in November 2014 that KTR Capital Partners had built a 335,841-square-foot warehouse and distribution facility on spec and then leased the entire facility to Amazon, which opened with 300 employees.
The warehouse features a 36-foot-high ceiling, a sophisticated fire-suppression system, energy-efficient lighting with motion sensors, and an expansive dock, the Herald reported.
High ceilings provide space to stack goods seven or eight racks high.
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