Downtown’s $10 million state Regional Transportation Management Center is a step closer to construction now that the city is reviewing the building-permit application.
That application details a $9.1 million project at 980 Jefferson St. for a 20,535-square-foot, one-story building. There also is another almost 5,000 square feet of unenclosed space, boosting the size to more than 25,000 square feet.
It’s in the state office complex just north of State Street near Interstate 95. Charles Perry Partners Inc. is the contractor for the project.
The structure will combine existing functions now operating in two other locations and will upgrade the technology used by the Florida Department of Transportation. It also will house the North Florida Transportation Planning Organization.
The upgraded technology will allow the center to monitor Northeast Florida roadways and traffic flow in Clay, Duval, Nassau and St. Johns counties and beyond for current situations and create opportunities to ease traffic flow and assist economic development.
“We are the quarterback of roadway events,” said Peter Vega, transportation systems management and operations engineering for the department’s District 2, in a previous statement.
The center comprises 20,000 square feet for the transportation management center and another 5,000 square feet for the planning organization, which now operates on the Southbank.
The center functions now operate at the District 2 Jacksonville Urban Office at 2198 Edison Ave. in West Jacksonville and at the Florida Highway Patrol Jacksonville Regional Communications Center at Jefferson and State streets, near the site of the new facility.
The department said the center will cost about $9.1 million to build and another $500,000 for interior work and furnishings, including 32 consoles and 20-foot-long workstations.
Vega said Wednesday construction should start in September. Construction should be completed in July.
CROP Creative Media build-out approved
CROP Creative Media’s plans to move to Kings Avenue are moving along.
The city approved a permit for Dav-Lin Interior Contractors to build-out 7,700 square feet at 1024 Kings Ave. for CROP Creative Media. The project cost is listed as $175,851.
CROP Creative Media will relocate from the Baymeadows area to Kings Avenue, joining the San Marco-area corridor that has been under redevelopment.
Contractor Allen Stevens, president of Dav-Lin Interior Contractors, bought the building in January for $375,000 and is renovating it to CROP Creative Media’s specifications.
Goodwill to develop in Clay County
Goodwill Industries of North Florida intends to develop a store and distribution facility on 4.34 acres at 1300 Blanding Blvd. in Orange Park.
MAR Engineering Group is the agent and consultant for the project, which was filed with the St. Johns River Water Management District.
Goodwill also is relocating its Mandarin store from Beauclerc Village to the former Halls Nurseries site and bought a former Wendy’s along San Jose Boulevard to remodel as a drive-thru donation center.
Goodwill also is building new commercial donation and retail center near Lakewood.
Hess stations upgrading by $300,000
Six Amerada Hess Corp. stations are slated for ADA upgrades at $50,000 each for a total $300,000.
The stations at 5843 University Blvd. W., 10141 San Jose Blvd., 13637 Beach Blvd., 10405 Beach Blvd., 9094 Merrill Road and 6010 103rd St. are in city review for remodeling.
The work includes interior remodeling for ADA compliance, seal coating and restriping parking lots and making sidewalk improvements.
Alamo Construction Co. Inc. is the contractor.
The upgrades precede the stations’ conversion into Speedways.
In May, Marathon Petroleum Corp.’s Speedway LLC subsidiary agreed with Hess Corp. to buy Hess Retail Holdings LLC.
The company has three years after completing the deal to convert the company-owned Hess stores into Speedways.
The deal, expected to close by the end of the year, includes Hess retail locations, transport operations and other assets.
2 more Paneras to be remodeled
The 11th and 12th Duval County Panera Breads were approved for conversion to Panera 2.0, a technology and service upgrade.
The restaurants at 9810 Baymeadows Road and 4403 Roosevelt Blvd. are the latest approved. So far, the renovations total almost $950,000.
The St. Louis-based chain intends to renovate all 17 Jacksonville-area cafes into its 2.0 concept, which could be a $1.34 million investment.
River City Science gym OK’d
The city approved construction for the gym building at 7605 Beach Blvd. for River City Science Academy. It’s almost a $1 million project.
The former Florida Coastal School of Law site along Beach Boulevard has become the River City Science Academy charter school. The gym is being built at the site of a former restaurant to the east.
Blue Ocean Construction Inc. is the contractor for the 13,570-square-foot metal structural gym building at a project cost of $964,595.
Florida Coastal School of Law used the River City Science Academy building when it opened in Jacksonville and has since moved to a Baymeadows campus.
Domtar consolidates in Westside Industrial Park
Domtar Corp., which makes, markets and distributes fiber-based products, has consolidated four Florida distribution facilities into one in the Westside Industrial Park.
Jim Atkinson, director of warehouse house operations, in Fort Mill S.C., said Domtar consolidated the inventory of two Jacksonville facilities and one each in Lakeland and Miami into the 80,000-square-foot center.
Atkinson said Domtar uses a third-party logistics company to operate it.
He said Domtar has been in Jacksonville since 2002. It moved from 109 Stevens St. and another location to 8015 Westside Industrial Drive.
The Jacksonville products include finished paper for printers and commercial printing. The paper is sold to paper merchants and end users.
Atkinson said the Jacksonville location was beneficial. “It’s a great jumping point to service the entire state of Florida,” he said.
Domtar is based in Montreal.
Chase Bank opens 10th new location
Chase Bank opened at Atlantic and Hodges boulevards, boosting the bank to 10 new locations in the Jacksonville market since it began expanding less than a year ago.
Five more locations will open this year, including the first in Clay County.
Two more branches will open in September, one in October and two more before the end of the year, bringing the total to 15. A few more are planned next
year.
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