Hillwood has more prospects for Cecil

Hillwood Investment Properties told the city last week that it was cut from contention at AllianceFlorida at Cecil Commerce Center for what is believed to be Project Zeus.


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But it was prospected for three more deals.

Hillwood told the city it received and responded in the first quarter to three other large projects:

  • An initial inquiry from a broker representing a prospect that wants to buy about 40 acres for a 300,000-square-foot distribution facility.
  • An initial inquiry from a prospect seeking about 400,000 square feet of distribution space.
  • A preliminary inquiry from an individual representing a food-distribution company.

Hillwood did not disclose the identities of the prospects or brokers.

As master developer for the city at the Westside business park, Hillwood must make quarterly progress reports. It filed the first-quarter report Thursday.

As reported Friday, a broker representing a prospect that wanted to buy at least 85 acres for a 1.3 million-square-foot facility dropped AllianceFlorida from its list of candidates, but continued to look at Jacksonville.

That fits the description of Project Zeus, an 800-job e-commerce fulfillment center that as of April had narrowed its site list to four, including two in Jacksonville.

A Hillwood executive said that while the project dropped AllianceFlorida, it continued to look at Jacksonville sites and expected to break ground by year-end.

If that’s the case, and it will request taxpayer incentives, it’s likely that legislation would be filed within a few months.

Amazon.com won incentives for its two large Jacksonville fulfillment centers, which are under development.

Wawa starting development at Bowden Road

The former Frank Griffin car dealership at 5735 Philips Highway is coming down for construction of a Wawa gas station and convenience store.

Landowner BW Philips Bowden LLC and contractor R. Hartwig Construction LLC applied for a permit to demolish the two-story, almost 16,000-square-foot structure at Philips Highway and Bowden Road. 

BW Philips, part of Brightwork Real Estate Inc. of Tampa, filed site plans for the project that show a 6,119-square-foot building for Wawa.

Plans for the 3.79-acre site also show 1.69 acres are set aside for an outparcel for another use.

Brightwork paid $2.25 million for the property in May. Stonegate Bank of Tampa issued a $3.95 million mortgage.

Food notes

  • Publix Super Markets Inc. is renovating its store at 10500 San Jose Blvd., north of Interstate 295. Elkins Construction LLC is the contractor for the $949,399 project. The city issued the permit Friday.
  • Xtreme Wings II LLC requested a zoning exception and a waiver of minimum distance for a liquor license location at 11565 N. Main St., Suite 110, in Cedar Bay Village. 
  • Taziki’s Mediterranean Café is in for permitting for its Mandarin South Shopping Center location. It’s a 90-seat restaurant at 11700 San Jose Blvd. C.N. Bailey and Co. Inc. is the contractor for the $375,000 build-out of 2,761 square feet of space.

Retail notes

  • The Strand at Town Center is starting to add smaller shops. The Art of Nails wants to open an almost 2,500-square-foot salon at 4906 Town Center Parkway, No. 401.
  • River City Marketplace is adding a shell structure for almost 13,400 square feet of retail space. Able Construction Inc. is the contractor for the $1.1 million project at 13121 City Center Blvd.
  • Ikea applied for a permit to install racking in the warehouse portion of its Jacksonville store under construction at 7801 Gate Parkway. The racking is a $517,000 project.

Development notes

  • The city is reviewing site plans for Community First Credit Union’s OakLeaf branch at 9690 Applecross Road. The 3,343-square-foot credit union and drive-thru is planned on 1.32 acres at Argyle Forest Boulevard and Merchants Way.
  • Sleiman Enterprises filed site plans for a 6,800-square-foot commercial building called Kernan Pointe at 1791 Kernan Blvd. S., at southeast Kernan and Atlantic boulevards. A dental office will take 3,500 square feet with the remainder for commercial uses. It’s planned on an outparcel of about an acre.
  • The St. Johns River Water Management District said it intended to grant a permit for Urgent Care MSO LLC to develop a MedExpress Urgent Care Center in OakLeaf Station.

 

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