Another large warehouse in Jacksonville is being explored for the unidentified manufacturing use already being considered for Southside.
City utility JEA is reviewing service availability requests for a 400,000-square-foot warehouse at 12400 Presidents Court in Westlake Industrial Park for manufacturing operations in West Jacksonville. It had been leased to UPS.
There are two JEA requests made July 16 and July 17 for the same project.
One says the existing industrial warehouse facility is being evaluated for manufacturing expansion and distribution operations. The proposed occupancy includes the installation of multiple production lines.
The project descriptions are much the same. One specifies the warehouse has existing 2000A/480V, 3P, 4W service. The requests ask for confirmation of available three-phase electrical service capacity and including the support of nonstop delivery of 4,000 amps as a basic delivery at 480V for manufacturing operations.
Research finds that need indicates a high level of electrical current that is found in industrial operations and large commercial facilities.
It is typically associated with main switchboards, utility transformers and power distribution systems.
Both requests ask that JEA confirm “any known infrastructure upgrade requirements and estimated lead times if applicable.”
A JEA request means a project is being considered and not that a transaction is taking place. The manufacturer and type of production were not identified.
One application is from Michael Salik, senior vice president of industrial at Matthews Real Estate Investment Services, and another is from Seda Preston, senior associate of the Colliers commercial real estate development firm.
Salik represents the prospect as its broker and said he could not disclose its identify.
He said the prospect will seek city incentives when a site is secured.
Preston and Executive Vice President Guy Preston represent the property. The marketing flyer for the property indicates it provides the requested power needs.
Salik said July 20 that he and Seda Preston submitted requests not knowing the other was doing so.
Seda Preston could not be reached immediately July 20.
Landlord Link Logistics is part of New York City-based asset manager Blackstone Inc.
The Duval County Property Appraiser’s website shows that the structure, called a mega warehouse, was built in 2007 on almost 39.8 acres. Westlake is west of Pritchard Road and Interstate 295, north of I-10.
More locations
As previously reported, the prospect also has been exploring a former Southeast Toyota Distributors parts warehouse in South Jacksonville.
JEA issued a service availability letter May 13 for the property at 8040 Bayberry Road in Deerwood Center, at northeast Baymeadows Road and Philips Highway, west of Interstate 95.
The 392,313-square-foot warehouse was built in 1978. Southeast Toyota has consolidated and upgraded its Jacksonville facilities in West Jacksonville and built a new processing center at JaxPort’s Blount Island Marine Terminal as it sold Deerwood properties and left its Talleyrand Marine Terminal property.
The JEA letter and the application for “Bayberry Industrial” state that the existing industrial warehouse facility is being evaluated for manufacturing expansion and distribution operations.
It says the “proposed occupancy includes installation of multiple production lines requiring substantial 3-phase electrical capacity upgrades and evaluation of utility infrastructure to support long-term industrial operations.”
The May 11 application requests confirmation of the available three-phase electrical service capacity and the ability to support nonstop delivery of 3,600 amps as basic delivery at 480V for manufacturing operations.
The JEA availability letter outlines the utility connection points and says those would be verified by the developer during project design.
The project application also requests that JEA confirm “any known infrastructure upgrade requirements and estimated lead times if applicable.”
Salik also submitted that application.
He said July 20 the Bayberry location remained under consideration by the prospect and that about nine more locations in the Jacksonville metropolitan area are of interest, so more JEA availability requests may be filed.
He expected a decision soon whether the Bayberry warehouse will be a contender, but he did not know when a final decision would be made.
Salik said May 25 that he was under a nondisclosure agreement and was limited in what he could say. “We are not under contract or lease agreement,” Salik said by email about the Bayberry site.
“The electrical capacity is the driving factor to how many manufacturing lines can be installed now and (in the) future. We are studying the Bayberry site for its capacity from JEA.”
He did say what the project wasn’t.
“I can tell you this is not a data center user,” Salik said.
Seda Preston and Colliers Associate Director John Cole at Colliers are representing the property on behalf of the landlord.
Its brochure says the building has up to 392,006 square feet available.
The brochure also indicates the site can accommodate the power needs outlined in the service availability request.
The property is 15.58 acres.
“What I can say is the building is for lease and there is a prospect evaluating the building for their operations but there is not a firm deal,” Seda Preston said May 26 by email.
“I am unable to provide any specific information about the potential occupier.”