Dolphin Dorms, the 277-bed residential building designed for use by Jacksonville University students, is shaping up as an almost $10 million project.
Developers haven’t announced many details since JU confirmed the project in June, but the scope and costs are emerging in public records.
On Tuesday, The Jacksonville Bank issued a $9.55 million mortgage and security agreement to Dolphin Dorms LLC, led by partners Wallace Devlin, based in Ponte Vedra Beach, and Micah Linton, of Lake City.
Dolphin Dorms LLC paid $860,000 in late July for 4.88 acres north of the campus to develop the dorm.
And the city is reviewing a building-permit application for the construction, shown as a $7.7 million project.
Devlin said Thursday that artist renderings should be completed next week and he would comment then.
The mortgage and permit application are two more big steps toward completing the dorm project by fall 2015.
Regulators have been reviewing plans for the three-wing, four-story project just north of the JU campus, which is at 2800 University Blvd. N.
The campus and dorm property front the St. Johns River in north Arlington.
Summit Contracting Group Inc. of Jacksonville is the contractor and PQH Group is the architect.
The 68,808-square-foot wood-frame building will comprise 277 beds and 144 rooms.
Prospective dorm residents can expect trendy amenities.
The first floor includes space for games, laundry, offices, activities, a classroom, study areas and a multipurpose room and more, as well as dorm rooms. The upper floors include, along with dorm rooms, study/lounges and two floors have a kitchenette.
Plans further show a pool, cabana, picnic area, grill, shade structure, bike racks and 150 parking spaces.
JU has been expanding its 198-acre waterfront campus. It recently bought 40 acres immediately south of the property.
Devlin’s group bought almost 5 acres of an almost 60-acre site immediately north of JU, referred to as Dolphin Reef. A JU trustee bought the other 55 acres but said he had no immediate plans for it.
JU is at the center of an anticipated revival of what is considered old Arlington. JU President Tim Cost has invested in campus construction and expansion and also has been striving for community improvements.
The city is considering creation of a Community Redevelopment Area that could capture the tax-increment funds generated by construction projects expected at JU, including the dorms.
The TIF financing would allow the defined redevelopment area to use increased property taxes generated by construction to invest in projects identified in the CRA plan.
The proposed Community Redevelopment Area includes the area immediately around JU as well as areas north and east.
Garrard plans 2nd gym
A second Retro Fitness is opening in Jacksonville. The company said a year ago that former Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback David Garrard and his wife, Mary, would open three of its gyms — and they’re investing more than $1.7 million in the first two.
The first one is at Harbour Village, near Queen’s Harbour Yacht & Country Club. The gym, at 13475 Atlantic Blvd., is a build-out of $814,792.
The second will open in Baymeadows Village in the Deerwood area. That gym, at 9802 Baymeadows Road, is a $910,314 job.
The 10-year-old Retro Fitness chain is based in Colts Neck, N.J.
Seminole Club transforming into Sweet Pete’s, Rose’s
The Seminole Club is slated for renovations to transform the historic Downtown structure into Sweet Pete’s and a Rose’s restaurant.
Sweet Pete’s is a Jacksonville-based candy shop and Rose’s is a Chicago-based gluten-free bakery and café.
Plans filed with the city show the three-story, 25,089-square-foot Seminole Club at 400 N. Hogan St. will be renovated at an estimated cost of $585,000. Sweet Pete’s previously landed a $35,000 demolition permit for the interior.
Plans show the structure will include a kitchen, retail area, open spaces, plenty of seating, a counter, a porch and balcony, and a dessert bar, among other uses.
Investor Marcus Lemonis bought the historic Seminole Club on July 2 for $550,000. Lemonis, chairman and CEO of Camping World Inc., bought the building through Jax Club Property LLC.
Lemonis, the star of CNBC’s “The Profit” TV Series, invested in Sweet Pete’s after featuring the business on the show. It was founded by Peter and Allison Behringer.
Lemonis also is an investor in Rose’s.
The Seminole Club was reportedly built in 1902-03. It sits across Hogan Street from City Hall. While it operated through the years as a private club, it has been vacant for some time.
Wheel Pros working on West Jacksonville center
Wheel Pros LLC, a Colorado-based distributor, intends to open a warehouse in North Jacksonville at the Crossroads Distribution Center.
The company, based in Lakewood, Colo., designs, makes and distributes branded after-market wheels and also distributes tires and accessories.
It offers its products through distribution centers and dealers worldwide. It began with two distribution centers and now sells through 25 across the country and internationally.
The company was sold in July by Platinum Equity to Audax Group, a private equity fund, in Boston.
The city issued a permit Monday for Dav-Lin Interior Contractors to renovate space at a cost of $205,000 for Wheel Pros at 6600 Pritchard Road, off the I-295 West Beltway.
The warehouse and office total about 20,000 square feet plans show.
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