Wayfair Inc. is setting up a temporary office in Cecil Commerce Center for operations and hiring as construction continues at its distribution center in the West Jacksonville business park.
City Council introduced Ordinance 2019-306 on Tuesday to approve a one-year lease agreement between the city and Wayfair LLC for 1,800 square feet of office space in Building 374 at 6146 Authority Ave.
The rental rate is $1,350 a month with a common area maintenance fee of $200.
Wayfair, a Boston-based online home furnishings retailer, has an option to renew for a year with a 3 percent rate increase.
The lease will allow Wayfair to start operations, “including hosting job fairs and the hiring of managers and employees for the new facility in advance of the completion of construction,” according to the legislation.
Legislation was introduced as an emergency so that Wayfair could start work toward the opening of the distribution center in late 2019.
It will be heard by the council Finance Committee and then return to council for a vote.
Wayfair chose Jacksonville for a 1 million-square-foot, $72 million distribution center that it will lease at Cecil Commerce Center to serve the Southeast.
The center is in development at 13483 103rd St., next to an Amazon.com fulfillment center.
Wayfair expects to employ 250 workers by the end of 2021 at an average wage of $33,000 in exchange for a $3.3 million city Recapture Enhanced Value grant, payable over 10 years. The grant is based on the additional property taxes generated by the project.
City Council approved the grant for Wayfair, code-named Project Empire, in October.
A REV grant requires that a company create at least 10 full-time jobs at or greater than the state’s average wage, which is $46,346. Council waived that, saying the grant was necessary for the project’s feasibility.
According to the economic development agreement, Wayfair will complete construction on or before Dec. 31, 2020.