A former Southeast Toyota Distributors parts warehouse in South Jacksonville is being explored for manufacturing.
City utility 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 the Deerwood properties and left its Talleyrand terminal property.
A JEA request means a project is being considered and not that a transaction is taking place. The letter outlines the utility connection points and says those would be verified by the developer during project design.
The manufacturer and type of production were not identified.
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.
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.
The project application also requests that JEA confirm “any known infrastructure upgrade requirements and estimated lead times if applicable.”
The applicant is Michael Salik with Matthews Real Estate Investment Services of Jacksonville.
Salik, senior vice president of industrial at Matthews, said May 25 that he was under a nondisclsure agreement so he was limited in what he could say.
“We are not under contract or lease agreement,” Salik said by email.
“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.
The Colliers commercial real estate firm is representing the property for lease.
Its brochure says the building has up to 392,006 square feet available.
The brochure shows the building could be divided into Unit 100 and Unit 200, with the first unit at 205,038 square feet and the second at 186,968.
There also is office space, a truck court and parking for 167 cars.
The brochure also indicates the site can accommodate the power needs outlined in the service availability request.
The property is 15.58 acres at northeast Baymeadows Road and Philips Highway, west of I-95.
Colliers associate directors Seda Preston and John Cole are representing the propery on behalf of the landlord.
“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,” Preston said May 26 by email.
“I am unable to provide any specific information about the potential occupier.”
Southeast Toyota Distributors LLC is part of Deerfield Beach-based JM Family Enterprises Inc., which jmfamily.com says is a privately held, diversified company founded in 1968 by automotive pioneer Jim Moran when he partnered with Toyota Motor Sales to help expand the automaker’s presence in the U.S. market.
JM Family Enterprises sold two Deerwood Center warehouses April 14, 2023, to an investor for almost $34.5 million.
Southeast Toyota used the buildings as parts distribution centers. Parts needed by Toyota dealers are shipped the same day or referred to Toyota’s automated network for air shipment direct to the dealer.
The 392,313-square-foot warehouse at 8040 Bayberry Road was sold for almost $24.7 million. The 140,766-square-foot warehouse at 8019 Bayberry Road sold for $9.75 million. It was built in 1979 on 4.9 acres.
JM Family Enterprises Inc. sold the properties through Florida Land Holdings LLC.
The company said previously it had occupied the Bayberry Road warehouses since 1978.
Southeast Toyota Distributors sold the buildings and left its JaxPort Talleyrand Marine Terminal property as the company consolidated and upgraded its Jacksonville facilities in West Jacksonville and built a new processing center at the port’s Blount Island Marine Terminal.