Atlantic North is closer to landing a movie theater, which would bring screens to the Atlantic and Kernan boulevards area.
Developer Toney Sleiman said Wednesday he envisions a 12-screen, 45,000-square-foot theater at the northwest intersection.
Pending a deal, he said it could open in 2017-18. “There’s still a lot of negotiating,” he said.
Sleiman said the operator is a national theater company, but he declined to identify it. He said it was not Epic Theatres, which is opening in April at Sleiman Enterprises’ OakLeaf Station shopping center in Southwest Jacksonville.
He said the Atlantic North site is between the two closest theaters at a distance agreeable in the industry.
It would be about 5 miles east of AMC Regency 24 at Regency Square Mall and a little more than 5 miles northwest of Regal Beach Boulevard Stadium 18.
“The company that called us likes the site,” Sleiman said.
He expects the real estate representative to visit within 90 days. If the site is chosen by the company, the deal would proceed. Once construction starts, it takes about a year to build, he said.
Atlantic North is one of three corners owned by Sleiman Enterprises at the Kernan and Atlantic intersection.
Atlantic North is anchored by Belk, Earth Fare, Academy Sports & Outdoors, and LA Fitness.
The Hanania Automotive Group recently acquired 6 acres for an Audi dealership. Sleiman said he had a letter of intent with another auto dealer next to the Hanania site, but he would not disclose the identity.
The theater would be on a site west of the Belk store and near the unidentified auto dealership. That dealership is next to the Hanania site, which is next to CarMax.
Sleiman Enterprises says more than 182,400 people among about 71,700 households live within 5 miles of Atlantic North. The median age in that area is just over 34.
Atlantic North also includes the Sorrel apartments just north of the retail center. There’s a 7-Eleven store at the Kernan Boulevard entrance. The median age within a mile of the property is just over 32.
Sleiman said he also plans more retail at Atlantic North. He said the company had another 100 acres there on which to develop 900,000 square feet of space.
He said Sleiman Enterprises wanted to start development on two 7,000-square-foot multitenant buildings along the internal roadway in front of the Academy store.
He also wants to build a multitenant building in front of the Kohl’s store at southwest Kernan and Atlantic and a larger one near the BJ’s Wholesale Club at the southeast intersection.
Asked about restaurants, he wouldn’t name names but said “I have a pretty cool one coming.”
He said the restaurant already has several locations in the area.
Hibbett Sports to open in Arlington
Hibbett Sports appears to be opening a store in Arlington at Dames Pointe Plaza.
The city is reviewing a permit application for a $214,000 build-out of 5,611 square feet at 7001 Merrill Road. The store is planned near Bailey’s Health & Fitness.
Hibbett Sports is listed on the property flier for the shopping center, which is anchored by Publix Super Markets Inc.
Argos Builders LLC is the contractor for the build-out.
Birmingham, Ala.-based Hibbett Sports also is building out a store at 5871 University Blvd. W.
The company has six Duval County stores along Norwood Avenue, Dunn Avenue, Edgewood Avenue North, Blanding Boulevard, 103rd Street and in Atlantic Beach. It also has four stores in Baker, Clay, Nassau and St. Johns counties.
The company has more than 1,000 stores in 31 states. It sells sporting goods, apparel, gear and footwear for men, women and children. It also offers apparel for college and pro sports.
The stores are much smaller than the big-box retailers like Dick’s Sporting Goods and Academy Sports & Outdoors. Instead, Hibbett Sports focuses on smaller stores in strip centers.
It has some mall stores but focuses its growth on community strip centers. It operates in the South, Southwest, Mid-Atlantic and Midwest regions of the country.
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