Almost 20 retailers and restaurants, including Walmart and The Home Depot, are signed for The Pavilion at Durbin Park in northern St. Johns County.
The first stores should open by year-end.
Gatlin Development Co. Inc., a joint owner and the developer of The Pavilion with Jacksonville-based Gate Petroleum Co., reports it signed leases for almost 400,000 square feet of space in the first phase at Florida 9B and Race Track Road.
That phase should be completed in summer 2019.
The largest tenant will be Walmart Supercenter and the walls should start rising soon.
St. Johns County Building Services issued a permit Jan. 23 for the 200,971-square-foot store at 845 Durbin Pavilion Drive at a construction cost of $12 million.
DBS Contracting is the contractor. Gatlin said the target for opening is November.
The more than 135,800-square-foot Home Depot is expected to open in March.
Frank Gatlin III, CEO of Gatlin Development, said his group believes that The Pavilion at Durbin Park “will be a huge success.”
“This Phase I power center anchored by Walmart and Home Depot, along with many other retailers, restaurants and services, will establish this intersection as a true commercial corridor, paving the way for an exciting Phase II,” he said in an emailed statement.
Jacksonville-based Gatlin reports signed leases for 389,795 square feet of space and is negotiating with tenants for another 120,000 square feet of space.
In addition, Gate Petroleum Co. will build a gas station and convenience store and a Gate Express Carwash.
All of that takes Gatlin close to filling up the more than 600,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space in the 78-acre first phase.
The Pavilion is within the 1,600-acre Durbin Park development at Interstate 95 and Florida 9B at Race Track Road.
Gate owns the 1,600-acre Durbin Park property. Gatlin is working with Gate in a joint venture to develop the commercial space.
The Pavilion’s first phase is entitled for 700,000 square feet of space, although Gatlin and Gate intend to build less than that.
The Shopping Center Group is the exclusive leasing agent.
In addition to the major anchors, the first phase of the Pavilion will include about 210,000 square feet of space for junior anchors and more than 88,000 square feet for local shops.
That 88,000 square feet includes nine outparcels where Gate, Verizon and Chase Bank will execute ground leases. Some of those outparcels will comprise landlord-owned multitenant buildings.
Durbin Pavilion’s first phase is west of Florida 9B at Race Track Road and West Peyton Parkway. Gate was founded by Herbert Peyton and is led by his son, President and CEO John Peyton.
Gatlin said the second phase will be anchored by Bass Pro Shops, provide restaurants and focus on a large entertainment component that features a high-end movie theater, bowling alley, possibly a comedy club and a main street-style “linear park” with an event yard, surrounded by a recreational lake with walking and biking trails.
That phase is entitled for more than 1 million square feet anchored by the 150,000-square-foot Bass Pro Shops. Negotiations are underway for the destination retailer.
Bass Pro Shops announced in 2012 it would open a Bass Pro Shop Outdoor World there by mid-2014, but that was delayed.
Gatlin said his group was excited to bring the master-planned community to St. Johns County.
The entire Durbin Park is permitted for 2.4 million square feet of retail space, 2.8 million square feet of office space, 999 multifamily units and 350 hotel rooms.
It also will feature extensive green space for parks, bike trails, nature trails, lakes, amenities and entertainment venues.
Of the 1,600 acres, about 600 could be developed for building sites. The remainder is lake, wetlands, road right-of-way and green space.
The total retail space is almost twice the size of St. Johns Town Center.