Gate Petroleum Co. is redeveloping one of its most prominent Gate stores — the one in front of its headquarters.
The Jacksonville-based company, which services about 200 stations with half branded as Gate, proposes to demolish the store in front of its 9540 San Jose Blvd. executive building.
It then wants to rebuild it bigger and better.
The existing store, built in 2000, is about 5,400 square feet.
The new one will be 6,400 square feet and feature the Gate Fresh Kitchen, frozen yogurt and an outside dining area.
The existing Gate has 22 vehicle fueling positions and the new one will have 24, according to city documents.
Spokeswoman Misty Skipper said the model is the same as the new Gate being developed in Nocatee. Gate expects to use that design for many of its future stores.
As it expands its in-store offerings with a focus on freshly made foods, Skipper said the company is bringing its new design to the headquarters store.
She said the Fresh Kitchen is a fast-casual café that serves freshly prepared pizza, chicken tenders, smoothies and specialty coffees.
It also carries salads and sandwiches, frozen yogurt, hot dogs and fountain drinks.
Skipper declined to comment about the cost of the redevelopment.
Gate is working toward completion before year-end, she said. A contractor has not been chosen. Site plans filed with the city identify Prosser Inc. as the civil engineer.
A car wash is not planned, she said. The store sits on about 2.6 acres at San Jose Boulevard and Sunbeam Road.
Gate’s headquarters building was developed in 1999, property records show. The site also includes company warehouses.
Gate is building and planning several new stores, including in the Brooklyn area near Downtown, in Nocatee, at Philips Highway and Florida 9B and in Atlantic Beach.
It also is expected to open in Durbin Park in St. Johns County.
Gate Petroleum owns the 1,600-acre Durbin Park property and is working with Gatlin Development Co. on the first 80-acre phase, where Gatlin said Gate would open a store and a Gate Express Carwash in the first quarter of 2018.
While Gate has operated car washes at some of its locations, it has developed a new concept — the Gate Express Carwash. Those will debut this fall with two locations — one in Southwest Jacksonville at Interstate 295 and Collins Road and the other in St. Johns County at Nocatee Parkway and Davis Park Drive.
Some will be developed near Gate stores and others will be standalone properties.
Asked about more Gate rebuilds, Skipper said the company is determining store-by-store the best approach.
The Gate headquarters store isn’t the only development at San Jose Boulevard and Sunbeam Road. One of its leading competitors, Daily’s, is under development across San Jose Boulevard.
Asked if the Daily’s project influenced Gate’s plans, Skipper said the headquarters store has served customers for almost 20 years.
“As Gate looked to continue expanding our services and products to meet customer needs at this location, we determined that the current facility is not large enough to provide all that our customers are looking for inside a Gate store,” Skipper said.
“We believe the new store design will allow us to continue serving the community well into the future,” she said.
Jacksonville-based First Coast Energy LLP owns the Daily’s chain.
First Coast Energy spokeswoman Andrea Kane said the Daily’s store and a carwash should open by June 1. The property is under development at 9545 San Jose Blvd., in front of the Bailey’s Health & Fitness center.
That Daily’s will feature its Dash food-service concept.
Gate, First Coast Energy and the other gas station and convenience store companies also are bracing competitively for the entry of Wawa.
The Pennsylvania-based company said it intends to open three stores this year and will break ground in two weeks on sites near St. Johns Town Center and in Orange Park.
Wawa said it intends to open 10 more next year and up to 40 stores in the Northeast Florida market. Skipper had no comment about Wawa.
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