Automobile prospect shows interest in AllianceFlorida at Cecil Commerce Center

Business

Dallas-based developer Hillwood’s fourth-quarter 2025 report to the city showed significant prospect activity at AllianceFlorida at Cecil Commerce Center, including that the firm received and responded to a preliminary inquiry from a company in the automobile industry.

Hillwood, the city’s master developer of AllianceFlorida in West Jacksonville, provided no further information other than as of Dec. 31, 2025, the end of the reporting period, “the company had provided no further information regarding its potential requirements.”

As the master developer, Hillwood is required to provide quarterly reports to the city about activity at AllianceFlorida. The Q4 report for Oct. 1-Dec. 31, 2025, is due by the end of May.

The company does not disclose the identities of potential tenants.

The developer also continues in its role. It reported that as of Nov. 7, 2025, it exercised its option to extend the term of the Master Disposition and Development Agreement with the city for an additional five years through mid-September 2030.

Hillwood's Building E at 5550 POW-MIA Memorial Parkway is on 45 acres at northwest POW-MIA Memorial Parkway and Finger Lake Street, north of the Florida State College at Jacksonville Cecil Center.

Among other Q4 activity, Hillwood said it:

Continued to track a prospect that first contacted Hillwood in late 2023 interested in leasing 1 million to 1.5 million square feet of space for automated distribution. The unidentified prospect is considering several potential locations in several states for the requirement and did not provide an estimate as to when it expected to move forward.
Received and responded to an inquiry from a broker representing a company interested in building a large manufacturing facility on a portion of Parcels LMNO. During the reporting period, Hillwood executed a nondisclosure agreement, provided selected site due-diligence information to the prospect and prepared a test-fit site plan for the prospect’s proposed facility.
Received and responded to an inquiry from a broker representing a company interested in buying about 150 acres to build an industrial campus. During the reporting period, Hillwood executed a nondisclosure agreement with the prospect.
Continued its discussions that began in Q4 2024 with a company interested in leasing 500,000 to 1 million square feet of industrial space for manufacturing, assembly and distribution operations. Hillwood said it and the prospect continued to refine the plans for the proposed facility.
Received and responded to a request for proposals from a company interested in leasing about 450,000 square feet of industrial space.
Received and responded to a preliminary inquiry from a broker representing a company interested in leasing about 300,000 square feet of industrial space.

Hillwood also reported that the shell Parcel E building reached substantial completion at the end of October. The office space for future use within the structure was completed the first week of December.

In the previous report, Hillwood said that during August, several people from the prospect company toured the new 603,529-square-foot Building E, after which Hillwood provided selected plans and specs about the building.

Hillwood is the master developer of AllianceFlorida at Cecil Commerce Center

Building E is at 5550 POW-MIA Memorial Parkway, on 45 acres at northwest POW-MIA Memorial Parkway and Finger Lake Street, north of the Florida State College at Jacksonville Cecil Center.

Cecil Commerce Center is generally between Interstate 10 and Normandy Boulevard, with some property south of Normandy, on both sides of the parkway. It is west of Interstate 295.

The city is the property owner. Hillwood is the operator.

The city’s master development agreement calls for Hillwood to build-out AllianceFlorida on about 4,499 acres of city property, the former Naval Air Station Cecil Field, off Normandy Boulevard and 103rd Street in West Jacksonville.

That agreement is designed for the city to share in the profits. As the master developer, Hillwood typically secures the tenant, buys the land from the city, develops the project and then sells it, sharing the proceeds with the city.

Cushman & Wakefield Managing Directors Tyler Newman and Jacob Horsley are the leasing representatives, along with development representatives Hillwood Executive Vice President Dan Tatsch and Brennen Clifford, also with Hillwood.

Tatsch said in January 2024 that Hillwood has developed about 3.23 million square feet of space at AllianceFlorida.

Building E will boost that to 3.83 million square feet.

That total includes the two 1 million-square-foot centers for online retailers Amazon.com on about 86.5 acres and home-furnishings company Wayfair on 80 acres.