From the Daily Record
The popular IKEA Home Furnishings Co. plans to open a 294,000-square-foot store in Jacksonville at the northwest corner of Gate Parkway and Interstate 295.
Construction could begin in summer 2016 with an opening in fall 2017
The destination retailer’s project is an investment of more than $80 million, City Council President Greg Anderson said.
IKEA is based in Sweden and operates 41 stores in the U.S.
The Jacksonville store will feature nearly 10,000 exclusively designed items, 50 room settings, three model home interiors, a supervised children’s play area and a restaurant serving the store’s specialties.
Jacksonville’s seven-county region falls short of the 2 million population the company normally seeks. But the area’s post-recession growth caught IKEA’s attention, a company spokesman said.
IKEA typically buys its 20- to 30-acre sites along interstates for the greatest visibility and access. The company identified sites with the help of CBRE real estate executives Collis McGeachy and Jess Simmons.
Southeastern Grocers LLC, the holding company for Winn-Dixie and two other banners, is moving its headquarters from the Prominence office park in the first quarter of 2016.
The Jacksonville-based company had been leasing space at Winn-Dixie’s former headquarters. Some functions will remain at that campus.
President and CEO Ian McLeod said the remodeled headquarters will further unify many key departments, “and therefore represents an important step in making us more nimble and responsive to the needs of our customers.”
The company said it was important to remain in Duval County and in a location with good transportation options and security.
Southeastern Grocers operates more than 750 Winn-Dixie, Bi-Lo and Harveys supermarkets in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina and South Carolina.
International Management Co. broke ground on an $8.5 million speculative office building in Nocatee.
The 62,751-square-foot structure, located at northwest Nocatee and Crosswater parkways, is expected to be completed in July.
It is believed to be the first speculative Class A multitenant office building developed in Northeast Florida since 2008.
Vacant office space is filling in high-demand areas, according to CBRE Inc. in Jacksonville, which is handling the leasing and management. However, building costs have risen, forcing owners of new structures to charge higher rents. That works best in limited markets, such as Nocatee, a CBRE spokesman said.
Three Arlington-area apartment complexes sold to a New Jersey investor for $50.6 million.
Castle Hill Partners of Austin, Texas, sold the Caroline Square, City Ridge and the Club at Charter Pointe apartments to Jacksonville Partners LLC of Lakewood, N.J.
The communities comprise 902 apartments, according to their leasing offices, meaning each sold for almost $56,100.
Caroline Square, at 5959 Fort Caroline Road, sold for $19.2 million.
City Ridge, at 7528 Arlington Expressway, sold for $17 million.
Club at Charter Pointe, at 5501 University Blvd. N., sold for $14.4 million.
Jacksonville-based Vestcor Communities will develop a $22 million senior-living community along San Jose Boulevard.
Also, Principal Senior Living Group of Alpharetta, Ga., plans to enter the Jacksonville market with the estimated $9.8 million Benton House at OakLeaf.
The two senior-living projects join at least 15 more that recently opened or are under development in the Jacksonville area. Florida’s senior population will account for 58 percent of the state’s growth by 2030, the state reports.
Vestcor Communities plans to develop a three-story assisted living and memory care center at 12276 San Jose Blvd. Site plans include 46 senior apartments. Construction should start next year and be completed in 2017.
Principal Senior Living Group has designed a 59-unit, 80-bed assisted living facility at 417 OakLeaf Plantation Parkway. Construction should start in December and the first phase be completed in about 10 months.