As Railex LLC works toward developing a cold-storage distribution center along Philips Highway, it plans to lease temporary space 12 miles south in Flagler Center after a $1.25 million renovation.
The city is reviewing a permit application for Hansen-Rice Inc. to renovate about 43,000 square feet of temporary cooler facilities in Flagler Center at 12740 Kenan Drive, No. 100.
Railex President Adrian Neuhauser said Monday the refrigerated warehouse at Flagler Center should be operational by June.
Plans show the 42,700-square-foot project would comprise 38,568 square feet of warehouse space converted for refrigerated warehouse space with two truck docks along with 4,132 square feet of office space.
The space is part of a 107,800-square-foot building.
Hansen-Rice, of Nampa, Idaho, also is the contractor for the Philips Highway project.
Railex LLC of Riverhead, N.Y., proposes to develop a 250,000-square-foot cold-storage warehouse-distribution center in South Jacksonville, at 6140 Philips Highway, that should employ 310 people by 2018.
Railex serves the food, beverage, pharmaceutical and manufacturing industries.
Neuhauser said the St. Johns River Water Management District has approved the project and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is reviewing it. Once the Corps signs off, then Railex can move forward with city permitting.
Neuhauser said the goal is to start construction by May or June for completion about year-end. Railex negotiated $8.8 million in city and state incentives to develop the $105.7 million center.
Florida East Coast Railway owns the Philips Highway property, which is vacant land zoned for heavy industrial use. Railex proposes to buy an 18-acre tract of undeveloped rail-spur property adjacent to the Florida East Coast Railway marshaling yard.
Railex intends to build a multimodal center to warehouse and distribute refrigerated freight. It would be served by spur rail and support yard rail to handle 40-85 car unit trains within a 24-hour period.
Railex said it would generate 310 jobs by the end of 2018 at an average wage of $47,851.
Arlington Toyota laying groundwork for growth
Arlington Toyota, which operates a dealership at 10939 Atlantic Blvd. in East Arlington, envisions an expansion involving adjacent property, although there is no firm timetable, according to a rezoning request.
Property records show the dealership occupies structures totaling about 50,000 square feet on about 9.75 acres at 10939 Atlantic Blvd.
Arlington Realty LLC and Arlington Land LLC want to rezone contiguous and neighboring parcels at 10909 and 10957 Atlantic Blvd. and 123 General Doolittle Drive.
The total acreage, including the dealership, would be 15.62 acres.
Arlington Realty owns the 9.75-acre site occupied by the dealership. Arlington Land owns the contiguous and neighboring parcels.
The intent of the rezoning is to allow Arlington Toyota to expand the existing new and used motor vehicle dealership and service department, according to an exhibit filed with proposed Ordinance 2014-196.
The first phase of the development will start this year to provide surface parking for the display of new and used automobiles.
Future development will consist of construction of additional buildings and improvements, and development could take place over 10 years, says the exhibit.
The Arlington Toyota PUD – planned unit development – would use 13.52 acres of the property, with 2.1 acres for passive open space, wetlands and a pond.
It calls for a maximum of 52,000 square feet of buildings on the combined site.
Taylor & White Inc. is the civil design and consulting engineer working with the owner with the initial development project.
Patriot Logistics proposes NW relocation
Patriot Logistics Inc. is making plans to move a mile south from 6200 Old Soutel Court to a 7.12-acre site along Old Kings Road between Pickettville Road and Lane Avenue North in Northwest Jacksonville.
A rezoning request shows that Old Kings Road LLC wants to rezone a 10.13-acre site that comprises two parcels – 7.12 acres and 3.01 acres.
Patriot Logistics would develop a 2,000-square-foot office, eight parking spaces for staff and 30 parking spaces for tractor-trailer trucks.
The land use would be changed for the 7.12-acre site and there would be no proposed change to the smaller parcel, which would remain in its current land use of low-density residential.
Diettrich Planning LLC is the planner and agent and Envision Design + Engineering is the project engineer.
An exhibit filed with Ordinance 2014-194 shows that Old Kings RD LLC is the property owner. Edwis Selph Sr. is the property owner and president of Patriot Logistics, which is based in Houston.
U.S. Bank expanding in Baymeadows
U.S. Bank is expanding its Global Corporate Trust Services Document Custody site in Deerwood Center. About 80 employees and contractors work at the 7871 Bayberry Road location.
Spokeswoman Nicole Garrison-Sprenger at U.S. Bancorp’s Minneapolis headquarters said there eventually will be more jobs tied to the expansion, but she couldn’t quantify the number.
“The expansion is needed due to U.S. Bank’s growth in the document custody business. We have some large and growing Florida-based customers and we need to accommodate their collateral safekeeping needs,” she said.
The city is reviewing a permit for tenant expansion and improvements at 7871-7875 Bayberry Road at a project cost of $210,000.
Plans show renovations for almost 10,900 square feet of space for a total tenant area of almost 30,000 square feet.
The first three phases comprised office and vault space. The fourth phase also includes office and vault space.
The contractor and building owner are G.F. Florida Operating Alpha Inc.
Garrison-Sprenger said U.S. Bank does not have retail branches in Florida, but operates several wholesale business lines in the state and in Jacksonville, in particular.
She said that in addition to the document custody vault site, U.S. Bank operates a Global Corporate Trust Services corporate and municipal trust office in Downtown Jacksonville, where it has about 30 employees. That office is in Enterprise Center at 225 Water St.
It also has a payments services group in Jacksonville.
Chase Bank plans OP branch
Plans are in review for a Chase Bank office in Clay County at Kingsley Avenue and Blanding Boulevard in Orange Park.
The St. Johns River Water Management District is reviewing plans for a 3,495-square-foot Chase office on 0.89 acre.
LAI Engineering of St. Augustine is the civil engineer.
Retail construction
• Tire Kingdom is building a 6,922-square-foot center at 9628 Argyle Forest Blvd.
• Family Dollar is building an 8,320-square-foot store at 8088 Old Kings Road S.
• West Marine is renovating 8,269 square feet at 4415 Roosevelt Blvd.
Foreclosure rates drop
The CoreLogic research firm reports that foreclosure rates in Jacksonville were lower in January compared to January 2013. The rate of area foreclosures among outstanding mortgage loans was 4.86 percent in January, down 3.22 percentage points from 8.08 percent a year earlier.
However, foreclosure activity in January in Jacksonville was higher than the national rate of 1.97 percent.
Meanwhile, the mortgage delinquency rate fell in Jacksonville in January, when 9.7 percent of mortgage loans were 90 days or more delinquent, compared with 13.19 percent the year before, a decrease of 3.49 percentage points.
Progressive relocating in Southside
The Progressive Corp. will relocate its 6500 Bowden Road insurance claims offices to the Avenues area at 7406 Fullerton St., No. 300. About 100 employees will move to the relocated operation.
The city approved a permit application Monday for Dav-Lin Interior Contractors Inc. to renovate 17,606 square feet of space at a project cost of $360,728.
Plans show offices, open areas, training rooms, conference rooms, a break room and other space. The location is on the third floor of the Avenues 200 building, according to the application.
Spokesman Jeff Sibel at Mayfield Village, Ohio-based Progressive said the company routinely reviews the space needs and locations “of hundreds of offices around the country to be certain we’re best positioned to serve our customers.”
@MathisKb
(904) 356-2466