As summer bears down, Arlington is adding an ice cream shop.
The city issued a permit June 11 for Southern Grace Homes LLC to build-out Conie’s Ice Cream in College Park, the former Town & Country Shopping Center at northeast University Boulevard and Arlington Expressway.
Jacksonville-based Southern Grace Homes will renovate a 1,300-square-foot space at a project cost of $155,143 at 903 University Blvd. N., Space 935. John Reep is the architect.
The permit follows one issued Oct. 11 to prepare the shell space for the shop at a project cost of $120,498. That permit was for landlord improvements to bring the space to code for tenant work.
Conie's Ice Cream Vice President Brian Kraut expects to open in about two months, depending on the pace of the build-out.
Conie’s Ice Cream has a shop in Bartram Oaks Walk at Race Track Road and Florida 13 in Saint Johns.
Kraut said he and wife, Kim, moved from Arlington to Green Cove Springs a little more than a decade ago, but both had been in Arlington "for a very long time."
He said they chose College Park after looking for almost a year for a second location.
"We felt that Arlington would be the best fit," Kraut said.
"I moved to Arlington in about 1995 and raised my son there and Kim grew up in Southside and graduated from Sandalwood. We are looking forward to the planned efforts to revitalize the area," he said.
Conie's has more than 33 shake and sundae flavors.
It sells cones, dipped cones, sundaes, freezes, floats, slushes, shakes, waffle bowls, ice cream cookie sandwiches, cookies, and ice cream pies and cakes. It also sells seasonal treats and more.
Donatos Pizza was planned next door but the landlord, JWB Real Estate Capital, terminated the lease for the unopened shop because tenant work had not begun.
JWB Real Estate Capital President Alex Sifakis said April 23 he will lease the space to another pizza restaurant, but did not identify which one.
Through 903 University Blvd LLC, JWB Real Estate Capital paid almost $5.1 million for the 18.27-acre Town & Country center in August 2019. The 189,000-square-foot retail plaza was built between 1953 and 1979.
The property is part of the Renew Arlington Community Redevelopment Area, which the city hopes to assist with rejuvenation.
Other pending food-related tenants at College Park include a franchise for the Philippines-based Max’s Restaurant, which became known as “The House That Fried Chicken Built,” and First Gear Coffee, which will be operated by Dan Manjack. Manjack bought and renovated Arlington Bait & Tackle near the coffee shop.
Other pending new tenants include Fish N Flips Swim School and Chase Bank.
JWB wants to add junior anchors, which are smaller than anchors and considered important to attract customers to a shopping center. Sifakis said examples would be a fitness center and a pet supply store.
Winn-Dixie is the primary anchor tenant, at almost 49,000 square feet. The banner returned Sept. 20 to the center, where the Jacksonville-based supermarket chain operated from 1997-2007.
The Urban Division at Colliers commercial real estate represents the landlord in tenant leases. The Colliers team comprises Senior Vice President Matthew Clark, senior associate Sam Middlekauff and associate Olivia Steinemann.
Arlington Bait & Tackle, Dollar General, Advance Auto Parts, dialysis center DaVita Inc. and Legacy Ministries are among the tenants that had leased at Town & Country and continue leasing at College Park.
A leasing brochure shows that future additions include pickleball courts closest to the expressway.
College Park also is designed for 82 market-rate apartments and a shipping-container outdoor food-hall market at the front corner of the property.
Sifakis said JWB Real Estate Capital has hired a food hall designer for the project, which he expects will be completed before the apartments are developed.