ST. JOHNS COUNTY
In 2023, Bass Pro Shops announced plans to open an Outdoor World retail store in St. Augustine on vacant land south of Buc-ee’s and Costco Wholesale.
On June 11, workers were constructing the 162,000-square-foot building.
Bass Pro Shops sells fishing and outdoor gear for activities including hiking, backpacking, wildlife viewing, camping and more.
The $22.3 million project along World Commerce Parkway.
CLAY COUNTY
Work continues at Clay Hill, a $270 million, 300,000-square-foot plant planned to produce residential roofing products by global roofing manufacturer IKO Industries Ltd.
The manufacturing facility is on 80 acres east of U.S. 301 at County Road 218, about 10 miles south of Interstate 10.
An IKO representative said the project remains on schedule for a mid-2025 opening. IKO, founded in 1954 and headquartered in Brampton, Ontario, Canada, operates most of its U.S. facilities in the Northeast, with additional operations in Texas and Alabama.
Clay Hill is the eighth shingle production line in IKO’s North American manufacturing operations.
IKO paid $5.26 million in April 2023 for the 80 acres of timberland.
U-Haul International opened U-Haul Moving & Storage at Black Creek in Middleburg on May 3 after acquiring the property on May 2 for $10.16 million.
The Clay County storage facility at 2752 Blanding Blvd. sits on two parcels totaling 11.45 acres.
It features climate control and outdoor drive-up access. Inkana Development of Homewood, Alabama, sold the property through On Guard Middleburg LLC.
DUVAL COUNTY
A second Southern Grounds & Co. coffee shop and Angie’s Subs are local restaurant additions at Jacksonville International Airport. Angie’s began serving subs in Concourse A in January.
Southern Grounds opened a pre-security location in August 2023.It operates a post-security spot in Concourse A, where it opened in February 2022.
Wine bar and bistro Vino Volo held a ribbon-cutting May 16 to celebrate its reopening after a renovation. It adds the Verdi Market to its footprint.
It serves Jacksonville-based Pura Bean Coffee and features full-bottle wine sales, gourmet snacks and healthy grab-and-go offerings.
A $245.8 million Boeing facility, designed to attract other aeronautics and space companies to Jacksonville, opened Feb. 9 with a ribbon-cutting attended by congressional, state and local officials.
Boeing’s Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul hangar at Cecil Airport in West Jacksonville will accommodate P-8 maritime patrol aircraft, KC-46 refueler/transport planes, and F/A-18 Super Hornet jets, including those flown by the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels.
The 385,000-square-foot facility will handle structural repairs and avionics upgrades.
The Jacksonville Aviation Authority broke ground May 10 on Concourse B at Jacksonville International Airport. The event also marked the initiation of the bypass taxiway construction and the development of an adjacent 2,000-space parking garage.
Representatives from the JAA, the city of Jacksonville, the Florida Department of Transportation and members of Congress spoke at the event celebrating the $344 million project.
Construction is set to begin in July, with completion expected in December 2026, according to David Jones, the director of engineering and facilities at JAA.
Cosentino Group, a maker of countertops, flooring, facade materials and other surfaces for architecture and building design, plans to hire 180 employees for its $270 million site at Cecil Commerce Center.
It could grow to $440 million if future phases are added as planned. Forbes reported that, after considering sites in Florida, Georgia and Texas, the Spain-based company chose Jacksonville because of its talent pool, port and railway access.
Cosentino plans to begin production at the facility in 2028.
The Jacksonville City Council approved a land sale and incentives package for Cosentino, including a sale price of $20.5 million for 330 acres, a $12 million property tax incentive, and $5.5 million in debt spending for infrastructure improvements.
Additionally, a $5.5 million grant from the Florida Job Growth Grant Fund will help extend a CSX Corp. rail line at the business park.
Because of city delays in wetlands mitigation work, the Council is considering legislation to extend the closing date deadline on the site to July 31, 2024, and to extend the construction commencement date by one year to Jan. 1, 2026.
Located in the northeast quadrant of Interstate 95 and Pecan Park Road, 3 miles from Jacksonville International Airport, Jacksonville Interstate Commerce Park is set to encompass more than 6 million square feet of space at full build-out.
Phase I of development of the industrial park will include two buildings totaling 2 million square feet, with one serving as a distribution center of up to 1.5 million square feet along I-95 and the other spanning 500,000 square feet along Pecan Park Road.
The city issued a permit May 20 for Mercedes-Benz of Jacksonville to renovate its Arlington dealership center.
The $10.97 million project includes demolition, site work, construction and renovation of the dealership at 10231 Atlantic Blvd.
The permit follows one issued May 6 for a $292,000 start to the project.
More than six years after approval, the $64.2 million Jacksonville North VA Clinic and Domiciliary is now serving veterans.
The facility at 145 Heron Bay Road along Max Leggett Parkway is part of the Malcom Randall VA Medical Center.
The VA opened its outpatient clinic April 9, with the domiciliary expected to open April 29. The 164,000-square-foot outpatient clinic has 101 patient care rooms, including 12 dedicated to women’s health and 62 to mental health.
The domiciliary, which serves homeless veterans and those needing substance abuse treatment or with serious mental illness, has 30 beds, 19 resident support rooms and 17 patient care rooms, as well as a teaching kitchen.
NASSAU COUNTY
Rayonier announced April 25 that The Church of Eleven22 will build a campus in Wildlight, the master-planned community in Nassau County.
The 10.52-acre site is south of Florida 200 across from Crosstown Boulevard, east of Interstate 95.
The campus will include a 40,000-square-foot sanctuary and worship center that can accommodate more than 1,000 people.
Work continues on a freestanding HCA Healthcare emergency center in Nassau County.
The 11,000-square-foot facility in Yulee is expected to open in the first quarter of 2025 in the Wildlight master-planned community.
The center is on a 55.28-acre site HCA Healthcare bought from the county in July 2019 for $15.8 million.
A scheduled groundbreaking on May 10 was rescheduled for June 21 due to inclement weather.
ST. JOHNS COUNTY
Construction at IGP/Logistics Park, a nearly 510,000-square-foot industrial center at World Commerce Center in St. Augustine, is expected to be completed in August.
It comprises three warehouses. The 43-acre site is off Interstate 95, about 2.3 miles southwest of Buc-ee’s, on the east side of International Golf Parkway across from Tocoi Creek High School.
There are no signed tenants yet, but conversations are ongoing as of May 22, according to Mark Scott of developer Foundry Commercial.
Six permits for interior build-out were issued May 31.
BJ’s Wholesale Club announced plans April 30 for a new membership club, expected to open this year.
The store will be east of Florida State Road 210 in the master-planned Beachwalk community, north of a Cantina Louie Mexican restaurant.
The county issued a building permit May 16, and the application includes 12 gas pumps totaling 24 positions.
The grand opening of Flagler Crossing at St. Augustine Apartments took place April 18.
Developed by Jacksonville-based Corner Lot, it comprises 330 units in 11 buildings.
Corner Lot says 100 of those units are designated as workforce housing, offering reduced rent based on tenants’ income levels.
No fewer than 150 units will be dedicated to workforce and affordable housing, with the AMI (Average Median Income) for these units ranging between 80% of the AMI and 10% below the market.
At least 50 units will be set aside in perpetuity, with the remaining units available for a minimum of three years.
Growth continues at The Fountains at St. Johns, a mixed-use development anchored by an Ascension St. Vincent’s medical campus. A 279-unit apartment complex, Fountains East Apartments, is expected to begin leasing in the third quarter of 2024.
Plans are under review for a Home2 Suites Hotel, retail spaces and an unnamed two-story restaurant at the 100-acre site.
Jacksonville University will have a satellite campus for its health sciences programs.