With a permit issued Sept. 7, FlexCold LLC is building its $47 million storage center in North Jacksonville.
FlexCold.com says it will open in summer 2022.
The company provides storage systems for industries that include warehousing; manufacturing; food and beverage; distribution; health care; technology; archiving; oversize loads; and cold storage.
Arco Design/Build LLC is the contractor for the 149,002-square-foot project on 12 acres at 11180 Blasius Road. The permit shows a construction cost of $19.89 million.
The project has been in motion since February.
Flexspace Ventures in Charleston, South Carolina, registered FlexCold LLC and 11180 Blasius Road LLC with the state Feb. 24.
England-Thims & Miller Inc. filed civil engineering plans with the city Feb. 26.
FlexCold said it intended to make the $47 million investment as City Council approved a Recapture Enhanced Value Grant in April.
The Council signed off April 16 on a five-year, $1.1 million REV grant for FlexCold LLC to build the processing and distribution facility at southwest Faye and Blasius roads, near Blount Island Marine Terminal.
Council voted 19-0 to approve Ordinance 2021-0187 to authorize the property tax incentive for FlexCold subsidiary 11180 Blasius Road LLC’s facility.
An amended Economic Development Agreement approved with the bill shows a $47 million investment in the warehouse.
11180 Blasius Road LLC bought the land Aug. 5 for $2.21 million.
Starting in June, the city issued permits for site-work and fixtures totaling almost $205,000.
So far, FlexCold has invested $22.3 million.
The incentives deal states that FlexCold chose Jacksonville rather than other port cities on the U.S. East Coast and commits to creating 20 jobs by Dec. 31, 2023.
The application describes the structure as 151,068 square feet with parking spaces for 29 cars and 52 trucks.
Another plan filed with the city shows a future building of 23,000 square feet.
FlexCold.com says the Jacksonville project is “a new era in cold chain logistics.”
“Given the complexity in design and high costs in renovating older traditional warehouses, speculative construction for new cold storage space is in high demand,” it says.
The Jacksonville center will have more than 25,000 pallet positions and offer a high-density, mobile racking system as well as a warehouse management system “allowing for a paperless operation and integrated workflows.”
The site is about 3 miles from JaxPort’s Blount Island and Dames Point marine terminals.
FlexCold.com says JaxPort offers direct container service to Asia, the Caribbean, Central America, South America and other markets.
“The city’s intermodal connections and more than 100 trucking firms make it easy to ship your refrigerated and frozen freight to more than 98 million U.S. consumers within a day’s drive,” says FlexCold.com
“FlexCold – Jacksonville benefits from being situated adjacent to Interstate 295 Interstate 95, providing excellent access to the major US east-west and north-south thoroughfares.”
