Florida Blue to renovate another campus building

Building 400 next for $6.3 million upgrade at Deerwood Park.


Blue Cross is upgrading its Deerwood Campus, which was built about 20 years ago.
Blue Cross is upgrading its Deerwood Campus, which was built about 20 years ago.
  • Columnists
  • Mathis Report
  • Share

Florida Blue applied to renovate another building at its Deerwood Park campus at a construction cost of $6.3 million.

It’s the second of five buildings that the Jacksonville-based insurer intends to upgrade at 4800 Deerwood Campus Parkway.

The six-floor, 68,250-square-foot Building 400 is in review for renovations by Danis Builders LLC.

The investment is adding up.

Building 300 is undergoing almost $9.7 million in renovations, including the $5.7 million construction upgrades and another almost $4 million in mechanical, electrical, plumbing and roofing work.

Danis Construction LLC is the contractor for that project. Permits were approved in June and July.

Spokeswoman Toni Woods said Tuesday renovations to Building 300 should be completed Dec. 31 and Building 400 is scheduled for completion June 1.

Woods said in May the insurer is upgrading its 20-year-old Deerwood Campus complex to include mechanical, electrical, plumbing and interior feature improvements.

Of the seven buildings on its campus, three opened in 1996, two in 1998 and two more plus a conference center and four-story parking garage in 2008.

The 1.3 million square feet of space was developed on 115 acres.

EchoPark proposed used car dealership seeking permits

EchoPark Automotive is moving ahead on seeking permits for its proposed used-car dealership in Atlantic North.

Atlantic North LLC, part of Sleiman Enterprises, is the landowner and applied to the St. Johns River Water Management District to expand the pond to serve an 8.5-acre parcel that would include the dealership.

The site is along Atlantic Boulevard west of Kernan Boulevard. It is immediately east of the Audi Jacksonville dealership under development by the Hanania Automotive Group. A CarMax is west of the Audi project.

EchoPark is a subsidiary of Sonic Automotive Inc. of Charlotte, North Carolina.

Sonic Development LLC wants to buy property from Sleiman Enterprises to build the dealership, which will be about 24,000 square feet and feature 634 parking spaces, site plans show.

Applications for Mobility Fee Calculation and Concurrency Reservation certificates show the dealership on 6.4 acres of the site.

Marti Eulberg, director of brand management for Sonic Automotive and EchoPark Automotive, said previously that the company has no comment.

Proposed site improvements filed with the city show the master stormwater design at the property would serve the development of three parcels of 3, 6 and 8.5 acres.

Sleiman is negotiating to sell the EchoPark site to Sonic Development, the mobility filing shows.

The project appears to be part of a multistate expansion. Sonic Automotive said in its quarterly Securities and Exchange Commission filing that six EchoParks operated in Colorado as of June 30.

During this year and next, it expects to break ground on 10-15 EchoPark locations in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas, the filing said.

As of midyear, Sonic Automotive operated 117 franchises in 13 states representing 25 brands of cars and light trucks. It also operated 18 collision repair centers.

In the filing, Sonic called EchoPark “an exciting shopping and buying experience.”

EchoPark says on its echopark.com site that customers will choose from “a comprehensive selection” of used cars, trucks and SUVs, including domestic and import models.

The website says each retail space offers open-concept interactive research areas and lounge spaces to allow customers to “shop the way they want and at their desired pace.”

EchoPark would join a corridor of almost 20 dealerships along Atlantic Boulevard from Regency Square Mall to Kernan Boulevard.

Gateway Village making progress

Gateway Village at Town Center is taking shape at southwest Gate Parkway and Deerwood Park Boulevard, a site planned for apartments, retail stores, a hotel and more.

Developer Cantrell & Morgan Inc., through Sidlyd Investments LLC, submitted plans to the city for a 9,520-square-foot retail building on 1.77 acres of the southeast corner of the 18.5-acre site.

A rendering shows the end units occupied by Burrito Gallery and M Hospitality Restaurant & Catering Group by chef Matthew Medure.

No tenant is identified in the remaining central 1,840-square-foot space.

That building is south of a second retail building on 1.48 acres that will lease to Sushi House, Bellezza Nails & Spa and CycleBar indoor cycling. There also are spaces remaining for other tenants.

England-Thims & Miller Inc. is the consultant.

Cantrell & Morgan said previously it intends to complete the first retail spaces for tenant build-out toward the end of 2018.

Also planned for the site:

  •  RaceTrac Petroleum plans a gas station and convenience store on a 1.7-acre outparcel at the northeast corner of the site. Venture Construction Co. of Tampa intends to build the store at 5020 Gate Parkway store. Permits for the 5,500-square-foot convenience store, canopy, fuel pumps and dumpster enclosure total $1.4 million.
  • Davis Development, based in Stockbridge, Georgia, near Atlanta, intends to start construction in early 2018 on 289 luxury apartments on 5.06 acres west of the retail site.

Two more parcels —  2.44 acres and 1.14 acres — remain available at the northwest corner of the site.

Cantrell & Morgan executives bought the land in July from members of the Skinner family for $6.64 million.

Development notes

  • Amazon landed a permit for a $2.5 million installation of two platforms in its 13333 103rd St. fulfillment center. The city also issued permits for two signs to feature Amazon and its smiley logo.
  • A Conditional Capacity Availability statement is in review for The Oasis at Town Center, a proposed 328-unit luxury apartment complex on 15 acres along Brightman Boulevard south of Topgolf near St. Johns Town Center. Picerne Real Estate Group of Altamonte Springs wants to start construction by May for completion by the end of 2019. The eight four-story apartment buildings will comprise one-, two- and three-bedroom units.


 

 

Sponsored Content

×

Special Offer: $5 for 2 Months!

Your free article limit has been reached this month.
Subscribe now for unlimited digital access to our award-winning business news.