A 250,000-square-foot warehouse center is being prepped in Southside for development should a prospect sign on soon.
Preliminary site plans indicate three warehouse buildings — one 86,200-square-foot building and two 81,900-square-foot structures — are proposed on 38 acres on Powers Avenue along the Florida East Coast Railroad. The property is south of Toledo Road.
The property is owned by the A.C. Skinner Jr. Trust. The agent is England, Thims & Miller Inc.
Chip Skinner with Skinner Bros. Realty said Wednesday there is no contract with a buyer, but there is prospect activity.
"We have a prospect for one or more of these buildings and are laying the groundwork to allow for a rapid development of these if need be," Skinner said.
"We are hoping to provide rail access to the buildings to improve their marketability."
Charter school at SW Butler, Southside
Red Apple at Southside LLC paid $2.4 million for property and took out a $12 million mortgage for the Renaissance Charter School recently approved for construction at 8680 A.C. Skinner Parkway.
Red Apple at Southside LLC bought the land from Southwest Quadrant Joint Venture and SWQ holdings Inc. Church Loans & Investments Trust, doing business as CLI Capital in Texas, issued the mortgage.
The city issued a permit Wednesday for Summit Construction Management Group to build the school at a project cost of almost $4.57 million.
Guitar Center to open in June
The city OK'd the build-out for Guitar Center at Westland Park in Southwest Jacksonville. Spokesman Preston Herscher at California headquarters said in February that the store would open June 19 and hire 20-30 people.
Urban Partners Construction LLC is building out the 13,425-square-foot store at a project cost of $346,805.
Guitar Center is based in Westlake Village, Calif., near Los Angeles. Herscher said 2014 is the company's 50th anniversary and it would open more stores nationwide throughout the year. It has more than 256 stores now.
The Westland Park store is at 6000 Lake Gray Blvd. The area's first Guitar Center is in the Regency area at 9365 Atlantic Blvd.
Guitar Center says it is the world's largest retailer of guitars, amplifiers, drums, keyboards and pro-audio and recording equipment.
Davis/9B plans continue
The city is reviewing the Cypress Bluff housing community proposed as part of the Davis/9B development east of the Interstate 295 East Beltway and Florida 9B.
Plans submitted to the city show 158 lots on 126.5 acres as well as an almost 2-acre recreation area and open space.
Plans were prepared for Estuary LLC, one of the Davis family property ownership groups. England, Thims & Miller Inc. is the project civil engineer.
Other documents for the Davis/9B parcel filed with St. Johns River Water Management District described a 569-lot residential project, called Cypress Bluff, on almost 342 acres east of Florida 9B.
Mike White, director of Planning and Development with The PARC Group, the master developer, explained that the larger acreage is related to Cypress Bluff's interconnected stormwater treatment system with other parts of the Davis/9B development.
Stormwater treatment from the commercial areas, Cypress Bluff and another housing area, Monterey Pines, will be interconnected. The interconnected system was submitted as part of the Cypress Bluff documents.
The Davis/9B property comprises almost 1,700 acres, east of I-295 and east and west of Florida 9B. Of that, about 839 acres is usable, including 241 acres for commercial, industrial, office and retail development.
For the housing portion, from 1,200 to 1,500 home sites are being considered, with most of them expected to support the jobs generated by the economic development.
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