Managing Editor
Leaving Downtown in spring
Adecco Group and Flagler Development separately confirmed Tuesday that Adecco will leave Downtown in spring 2011 for Building 200 in the Deerwood South office park at Southside and Butler boulevards.
Adecco will leave about 115,000 square feet in the Modis Building on the Downtown Northbank.
Adecco said the Southside location, at 10151 Deerwood Park Blvd., will house its Specialty Staffing Services Team, which currently operates in the Modis Building.
“This decision is based on input from many people and careful review of a variety of strong options here in Jacksonville,” said Tyra Tutor, Adecco senior vice president of corporate development.
“Through the entire process we remained fully committed to the Jacksonville community and decided on this specific location for a variety of reasons, including proximity and convenience for our employees, an efficient building layout and the ability to create the best possible working environment.”
Tutor said that Adecco wanted to “reaffirm our strong ties to the broader Jacksonville community, as we will continue to contribute to several downtown initiatives. Our support will not only include financial contributions to several distinguished community organizations, but will also provide our staff with access to major local cultural, sporting and entertainment activities so we continue to visit Downtown with colleagues, family and friends,” she said.
Flagler Development said Adecco Group North America signed a long-term, 78,292-square-foot lease, but Flagler did not disclose the length of the lease.
Flagler’s Senior Director of Leasing, Gary Cox, represented Flagler in the deal and Jim Sebesta of Grubb & Ellis/Phoenix Realty Group Inc. represented Adecco.
Flagler plans to start tenant construction improvements in the fourth quarter, said Karl Hanson, Flagler vice president and market officer for North Florida.
He said Adecco would lease all of the third and fourth floors and part of the first floor and the company has the right for signage on the building.
Hanson and Tutor did not say how many employees would move, but about 375 people have been working in the Modis Building.
Keith Tickell, Flagler executive vice president for development, declined to provide occupancy rates for the building or the office park.
Overall, the vacancy rate for the Butler/Baymeadows area is 23.4 percent, a high rate but lower than the Downtown Northbank, where the office vacancy rate is 26.1 percent. “It’s still a challenging environment in general for businesses,” said Tickell.
”There’s got to be an overall improvement in employment before you are going to see a change that is significant to occupancy in the office sector.”
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