Buildings are on the way up at the Southeast Toyota Distributors auto processing center at the Blount Island Marine Terminal with approval for the $60 million processing and operations support buildings.
The city issued a permit April 9 for J.E. Dunn Construction Co. to build the 337,000-square-foot concrete tilt-wall and structural steel structure at 8975 Dave Rawls Blvd. at the North Jacksonville terminal. That structure is the industrial processing and accessories facility.
The operations support building is described as two stories and 24,000 square feet.
The permit follows the two foundation permits issued Oct. 11 for J.E. Dunn Construction Co. for a $7 million concrete foundation for the accessories industrial building and a $3 million foundation for the operations building.
Southeast Toyota Distributors said in April 2022 it would move its auto processing operations from the Jacksonville Port Authority's Talleyrand Marine Terminal to a new facility at JaxPort's Blount Island terminal.
It also is upgrading its Jacksonville facilities in West Jacksonville.
At the 88-acre Blount Island site, Southeast Toyota said it planned to build two processing buildings and associated work areas.
Southeast Toyota said it employs 800 people at JaxPort comprising processing, parts and distribution, and technical support and training jobs.
Jacksonville-based kasper architects + associates is designing the Blount Island facility. J.E. Dunn Construction is construction manager.
Kasper said April 9 that the two permits for the accessories and support buildings were combined into one permit.
A kasper news release said previously the parcel will include buildings totaling more than 380,000 square feet serving as office space and a vehicle processing facility. There also are ancillary structures such as a car wash and fuel island.
Construction is estimated to be completed in 2025.
Southeast Toyota said it employs 800 people at JaxPort comprising processing, parts and distribution, and technical support and training jobs, according to a previous JaxPort news release.
“We are in the midst of the largest investment in our history,” said Brent Sergot, president of Southeast Toyota Distributors, in a statement in April 2023.
“With the continued population migration to the Southeast, it is imperative that we continue to look for new ways to evolve our approach to best serve the Toyota dealers in our region.”