Samsung Electronics vacating Westlake Industrial Park site


Samsung Electronics leases a Westside warehouse, but the structure will be available for new tenants in March.
Samsung Electronics leases a Westside warehouse, but the structure will be available for new tenants in March.
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A large West Jacksonville distribution center leased by Samsung Electronics America Inc. will be available after the end of February.

CBRE Inc. and Clarion Partners are representing the 400,000-square-foot building at 12400 Presidents Court in the Westlake Industrial Park. Samsung initially leased part of the building but expanded into the entire center.

CBRE Vice President Terry Quarterman said the building will be available after Samsung’s lease expires at the end of February. He referred questions about Samsung to the company.

Samsung has not responded to requests for comment about why the center will be available.

There could be a connection with a December report in the Orlando Sentinel.

The newspaper said Samsung will lease the bulk of one of that region’s largest industrial buildings for goods that include appliances. That building has more than 706,000 square feet of space.

Samsung has been associated with the Westlake warehouse for more than four years.

In September 2012, the city approved a permit for build-out for Samsung in the structure.

The company was issued a business license to operate there in February 2013.

It set up a home appliance warehouse there, according to a job posting at the time.

The business license also named John Wesley Butz, whose LinkedIn account says he has been the manager at Samsung Electronics America Logistics since September 2012. He declined to comment Monday.

The structure was built in 2007. Westlake is west of Pritchard and Chaffee roads, north of Interstate 10. It is owned by LIT Westlake LLC, whose manager is Clarion Partners executive John Killian in Dallas.

St. Johns Village could be coming down soon

A high-profile retail corner at St. Johns Avenue and Herschel Street in Avondale could soon be cleared for redevelopment as the St. Johns Village apartment community.

A pending permit shows a $144,875 cost for demolition of the retail center at 4000 St. Johns Ave. Realco Recycling Co. Inc. is the contractor for the project.

Realco Recycling would demolish the two-story, 60,000-square-foot center, dispose of the materials and grade the site. Work would be done 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday.

At the same time, the adjacent 16-story, 90-unit Commander Apartments are slated for interior demolition and renovations.

The city is considering a permit application for interior demolition by Midway Services Inc. at a project cost of $1 million.

The property is designed for a $40 million redevelopment by Chance Partners, with offices in Atlanta and Jacksonville.

Chance said previously it wants to complete St. Johns Village in the first half of 2018, creating an up to 224-apartment project among five buildings along with a parking deck and other on-site parking.

The Commander Apartments, built in 1961, occupy about 2.5 acres at 3946 St. Johns Ave. along Fishweir Creek and Little Fishweir Creek, which are tributaries of the St. Johns River.

The St. Johns Village retail center was developed in 1987 among four buildings on 3.3 acres at 4000 St. Johns Ave.

Chance Partners would renovate the Commander apartments to Class A status and replace the shopping center with apartment buildings and a parking deck.

A Planned Unit Development application shows 88 proposed units for the Commander tower and 136 units in the new buildings.

A site plan shows amenities could include a pool, fire pit, barbecue and a yoga pad at the Commander site, along with several pavilions. The former shopping center site shows two small parks.

The proposed PUD also indicates there could be a cabana/clubhouse, meeting rooms, a health/exercise facility, sauna and similar uses.

The St. Johns Village Center PUD, says demolition of the retail and commercial center and construction of horizontal improvements on the property would start in 2016-17 and be completed in 2017-18.

Renovation of the Commander apartments would start about 2016-17. Construction of the new buildings on the former retail site would begin when the market dictates.

[email protected]

@MathisKb

(904) 356-2466

 

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