Area commercial real estate brokers honored industry professionals and projects Thursday night, recognizing the Downtown Jessie Ball duPont Center and its development contractor, Danis Construction LLC, as the construction project and green project of the year for 2015.
Danis redeveloped the former Haydon Burns Library for the Jessie Ball duPont Fund, which leases the space to nonprofits and provides use of it to the community.
City Chief Administrative Officer Sam Mousa won the Jesse B. Smith Award, which is given to someone outside the real estate industry who has had a positive impact on the community and the commercial real estate industry.
It is named for Smith, who died 20 years ago at the age of 59. He was a longtime city employee who served in economic development, planning and development. In addition to the award, a pocket park Downtown and a street in the Westside Industrial Park are named for him.
The NAIOP Commercial Real Estate Development Association Northeast Florida Chapter gave the awards at its annual celebration at the Garden Club of Jacksonville.
The Citizens Property Insurance Corp. move from the suburbs and other Florida sites to EverBank Center Downtown brought in two awards: Design of the year for Workscapes and office lease of the year for Buddy Register at Cushman & Wakefield and for Preston Phillips, Lisa McLatchey and Chuck Diebel at Colliers International.
Calavo Growers in Green Cove Springs was the industrial lease of the year for Nathan Rogers at CBRE and John Richardson and Bryan Bartlett at Newmark Grubb Phoenix Realty Group.
The 220 Riverside apartment and retail project by NAI Hallmark Partners was the mixed-use project of the year. Hallmark also earned honors for the land sale of the year for representing Brooks Rehabilitation in acquiring land in Clay County.
Individual honorees for 2015 were:
• Oliver Barakat, CBRE, office broker of the year
• Guy Preston, Colliers International, industrial broker of the year
• David Hillegas, Cushman & Wakefield, developing leader and chapter merit award honoree
• Tony Suttles, Danis Construction, distinguished service award
NAIOP’s area chapter is a trade association comprising 259 members, who are developers, owners and professionals in the commercial, industrial and mixed-use real estate industries.
It covers Northeast Florida from Jacksonville west to Tallahassee, south to Daytona, southwest to Gainesville and north to Ware and Glynn counties in Georgia.
Pei Wei to build-out Mandarin location
Plans were filed for Pei Wei Fresh Kitchen in Mandarin at 11200 San Jose Blvd.
L.D. Reeves & Associates Inc. is the contractor listed on the permit application for the $375,000 build-out of 3,080 square feet of space.
Pei Wei Asian Diner Inc. reported in December it would open three new restaurants this year — in Bartram Village in April and in Mandarin and in Jacksonville Beach. It already operates in The Markets at Town Center.
Pei Wei Asian Diner, of Scottsdale, Ariz., is a fast-casual Asian restaurant concept with limited table service. It is owned by PF Chang’s China Bistro Inc.
Bealls renovating at Hodges Pointe Plaza
Bealls Department Store continues to split its Hodges Pointe Plaza store to accommodate a Bealls Outlet.
The city is reviewing a permit application for McIntyre Elwell & Strammer General Contractors Inc. to renovate 57,101 square feet of the existing Bealls at 13500 Beach Blvd. to remain as a smaller department store. The $411,000 project includes interior renovation and the front facade.
The Bealls Department Store, at Beach and Hodges boulevards, had been about 80,000 square feet.
Separately, the city approved a permit in January for McIntyre Elwell & Strammer to renovate 22,000 square feet of that for a Bealls Outlet at a project cost of $610,000.
Stan Sarnowski, director of real estate for Bealls Department Stores, said previously the company found it co-existed “very well” with its Bealls Outlet counterparts.
The two stores will have their own entrances and there will not be internal access from the Bealls to the Outlet, he said.
Smoothie King to build-out at Galleria Marketplace
Smoothie King will be one of at least three tenants at the new Galleria Marketplace at Butler Point and Bonneval roads.
The city is reviewing a permit for Dimension Construction to build-out the 1,056-square-foot space at a cost of $54,000.
Galleria Marketplace developer Louis Sleiman said Smoothie King should open in late summer or early fall. The center, at 6025 Butler Point Road, is under development by Triforce Development LLC, run by brothers Paul and Louis Sleiman.
Chicken Salad Chick and Kazu Sushi Burrito also should open there about the same time as Smoothie King, Sleiman said.
Another 3,900 square feet of space is available for lease.
Jackie Seafood taking Gold & Diamonds Direct space
Golds & Diamonds Direct partners Chip Catherwood and Fred Tromberg sold the 5658 University Blvd. W. building that housed the business, making way for buyers to open a seafood store.
The city approved a building permit Wednesday for Nialvi LLC to build-out the 3,000-square-foot store for the Jackie Seafood grocery store, with a fish bar, deli cases, freezer and coolers.
It’s not the old Jackie’s Seafood that was a mainstay restaurant in North Jacksonville.
Tromberg, with the Law Offices of Fred Tromberg, said he and Catherwood have been partners in Gold & Diamonds Direct for the more than 30 years it’s operated on University Boulevard. He said Catherwood bought out his interest and moved the business to the Julington Creek area.
The Gold & Diamonds Direct Facebook page said it closed Feb. 26 on University Boulevard after 32 years. Tromberg said it moved to 2758 Race Track Road in a Publix-anchored shopping center.
Catherwood, Tromberg and Martha Tromberg sold the property Feb. 29 to Sheng Jian Chen and Hui Lin Chen, from Pooler, Ga., for $520,000, property records show.
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