PetSmart said Monday it plans to open a store in fall 2017 at the Mandarin South shopping center under redevelopment at 11700 San Jose Blvd.
Spokeswoman Melissa Wenzel said the store was in the planning stages, so she could not provide more details.
The confirmation means progress is being made on the center, where natural foods grocer Earth Fare is expected to open as the 27,550-square-foot anchor tenant. Earth Fare has not said it is opening a store there.
“We wait until the opportune moment for our team and the community” to share details about new stores, said spokesman Mark Malinowski on Monday.
A junior anchor space of 17,730 square feet is next to it, which is where PetSmart is expected to locate. The stores generally range 14,000 and over.
Phoenix-based PetSmart has six area stores.
Mandarin South property owner Preferred Growth Properties LLC has filed site plans with the city for parking lot improvements that show an outline for the property’s redevelopment uses.
A former tenant was told Earth Fare had signed a lease and site plans outline a “natural grocer” in the largest space. Earth Fare’s chief financial officer said in August 2014 when its first area store opened in East Arlington that it wanted to add a Mandarin site.
A Winn-Dixie occupied the Mandarin South grocery space years ago, which appears to be divided now to accommodate other retailers. The Winn-Dixie was at least 45,000 square feet.
The property is at San Jose Boulevard and Loretto Road, south of Interstate 295.
Now about 65,000 square feet, a proposed addition will boost the shopping center to almost 74,000 square feet.
Some tenants, including AutoZone, said previously they intend to remain. Including AutoZone, the natural grocer and the junior anchor, plans show four smaller retail stores and three restaurants of 2,400 and 2,800 square feet.
Preferred Growth Properties, the real estate subsidiary of Books-A-Million Inc. of Birmingham, bought Mandarin South in July 2014. It also is developing The Strand at Town Center and The Crossing at Town Center near St. Johns Town Center.
Citi Trends expanding along Beach Boulevard
Citi Trends plans to move a storefront over into a 25,000-square-foot space at 7494 Beach Blvd. next to Winn-Dixie in the Beach Boulevard Shopping Center.
The city is reviewing a permit to renovate the space at a cost of $55,000.
The space is the former Bealls Outlet. Property leasing and management agent Barry Goldstein said Citi Trends now uses about 20,000 square feet.
Goldstein said River City Science Academy has leased the former Kaplan College location, about 30,000 square feet. That lease boosts occupancy at the center to almost 90 percent.
Meanwhile, the center’s potential sale is on hold, he said.
It has been listed by Goldstein Commercial Properties Inc. for $8.99 million. The 166,759-square-foot center occupies 15.6 acres at southwest Beach Boulevard and Parental Home Road. It was built in 1971 and renovated in 1996.
The Strand in for final engineering review
Final engineering plans are in for The Strand at Town Crossing, part of a 45-acre commercial project at Gate and Town Center parkways near St. Johns Town Center.
Tenants include several new to Jacksonville, such as Chuy’s Mexican Food, PGA Tour Superstore, Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen and Firebirds Wood Fired Grill.
The plans filed for city review show that developer PGP Jacksonville TC LLC proposes 226,458 square feet of buildings now and 50,347 square feet in the future.
There also are apartments, which will be the 305-unit Ravella at Town Center, and a hotel, which has not been identified.
PGP also plans The Crossing at Town Center, across Gate Parkway from The Strand.
PGP Jacksonville TC LLC is part of Preferred Growth Properties, the real estate subsidiary of Books-A-Million Inc.
First-phase Palm Bay Club apartment construction at $17M
Land is being cleared in Flagler Center for the 416-unit Palm Bay Club apartments and building permits indicate the project’s first-phase sitework and construction cost is $16.6 million.
Fort Family Investments is developing the almost 22-acre multifamily community, which will be its eighth apartment development in the area.
The city approved site clearing last week. Summit Contracting Group Inc. is the contractor.
Fort Director of Development Abe Fort said the clubhouse and pool should open in May. He said there is no timeframe for completion of the community.
The entire community is designed for 11 apartment buildings and five carriage houses.
Permit applications filed last week were for eight residential structures, comprising 214 apartment units, as well as the clubhouse amenity building with a pool, compactor, mail kiosk, maintenance building and dog park.
Fort said previously the total project will comprise 179 one-bedroom, 189 two-bedroom and 48 three-bedroom units.
Retail notes
• Wendy’s continues seeking permits for its proposed restaurant at the Shops of Philips at Emerson Street and Philips Highway. The project was filed with the St. Johns River Water Management District. The 3,500-square-foot, 84-seat Wendy’s would be one of the first projects at the commercial center at 3100 Emerson St. under development by Demetree Brothers Inc.
• Waffle House wants to build a 38-seat restaurant on almost 0.6 acre along New Kings Road near Tractor Supply Co. in Northwest Jacksonville.
• Orange Theory Fitness intends to open in the Tinseltown II center at 9734 Deer Lake Court. Build-out for the almost 3,600-square-foot location is $300,000.
@MathisKb
(904) 356-2466