The City approved a permit for build-out at the NorthPort Logistics Center in North Jacksonville. The developer is preparing speculative space for a potential tenant.
Oakmont Industrial Group is preparing for a big tenant in North Jacksonville, in case there's one to sign.
The City approved a permit for The Conlan Co. to renovate 424,521 square feet of space in the NorthPort Logistics Center at 11530 New Berlin Road. The permit application and development plans identify the project as a new tenant build-out and warehouse lighting.
Tom Cobb, senior vice president of development for Atlanta-based Oakmont, said Thursday the work is speculative. He said the group was "being prepared" for a tenant and that the work was general, rather than for a specific tenant.
The work means about half of the 872,627-square-foot building is being prepared for a tenant. J.R. Richardson of Grubb & Ellis Phoenix Realty Group is shown on plans as the representative.
Cobb said the building was competed in 2008, which is when the recession gripped the real estate markets.
"In general, things are getting better, but the market has been slow," Cobb said, referring especially to industrial deals of 400,000 square feet or more. He said the market for deals for less space has been picking up.
Duval County property records show the building has an assessed value of $25 million.
Project information on the Phoenix Realty Group website shows the project is 2.5 miles from the port.
Family Dollar construction to start
Construction is expected to start this month and be completed in March on the Family Dollar store at Monument and St. Johns Bluff roads, according to developer J.J. Lamberson.
Property records show Family Dollar Stores of Florida Inc. bought the property from First Coast Energy L.L.P. on Oct. 18 for $695,000.
The 1-acre property is at 1612 St. Johns Bluff Road N., at northwest Monument and St. Johns Bluff roads.
The building permit application shows that HJB Construction is the contractor for the 8,320-square-foot store at a project cost of $350,000.
Spiller at CEO Nexus Forum
The JAX Chamber GrowJAX group plans to host former Armor Holdings President and CEO Jonathan Spiller at the next CEO Nexus Forum from 4-5:30 p.m. Nov. 29 at the Jacksonville University Davis College of Business. For information, contact Kathy Bolesworth at (904) 366-6633 or [email protected].
Dine with Us Downtown at Pho
Jacksonville Jaguars CFO Bill Prescott and his wife, Kim, scheduled their next Dine with Us Downtown Nov. 29 at Pho, A Noodle Bar, at 117 W. Adams St. Chris Flagg of Flagg Design Studio will make a brief presentation about urban place-making at 6:30 p.m.
The Prescotts have reservations for 7 p.m. and suggest other Downtown diners make reservations from 5-9 p.m. Their goal is to bring 100 diners Downtown for their final Dine with Us Downtown for the year. Pho's number is (904) 353-0320.
It will be the Prescotts' 13th "Dine with Us Downtown," a regular event the Prescotts arrange to boost business for restaurants and entertainment venues on the Northbank and Southbank. The events average 25 diners, although Bill Prescott said they have reached 100.
Waters to chair regional council of foundations
Nina Waters, president of The Community Foundation in Jacksonville, has been named chairman of the Southeastern Council of Foundations. She was elected by members at the council's annual meeting this month in Charleston, S.C.
The council is the professional association for grantmaking organizations in the Southeastern United States. Its membership includes community foundations, private independent foundations, family foundations, health legacy foundations and corporate foundations in 11 states.
Waters has served on the board since 2007 and was the chair of the organization's 2010 annual meeting. She served as vice chair in 2012.
The council sponsors professional development programs, including the Hull Fellows program, which provides a year of intensive training to emerging leaders in the field. Hull Fellows graduates include Community Foundation staff members Kathleen Shaw and John Zell.
Community Foundation announces grants
The Community Foundation in Jacksonville announced trustees awarded grants of more than $100,000 at their October meeting. The 25 grants were made through the foundation's Field of Interest Funds supporting the arts and aging adults, and through the foundation's discretionary grantmaking.
Jacksonville Community Council Inc. was awarded a $20,000 grant to support its JAX2025 community visioning project under way. The grant was made possible by the Jay & Deanie Stein Unrestricted Fund.
Fifteen grants were awarded through the foundation's art ventures program, part of its field of interest in the arts. These grants were made possible by the Art Ventures Endowment Fund, the Independent Life Minority Arts Award Fund, the J. Shepard Jr. & Mary Ann Bryan Arts Endowment, the Anne and Sallyn Pajcic Art Ventures Endowment and the Harold K. Smith Unrestricted Fund.
Eight grants were made to individual artists:
• Sharon Weightman Hoffmann, $3,500, to create a two-act play entitled "Ashley Street Blues: The Life & Music of Blind Blake."
• Holly Draper, $3,500, to purchase supplies to set up a studio to establish herself as an independent artist and to participate in the Riverside Arts Market.
• Lisa O'Neil, $3,500, to produce seven historic portraits relating to the history of St. Augustine, to be displayed at the St. Augustine Art Association as part of St. Augustine's 450th anniversary celebration.
• Helen Cowart, $3,500, to purchase a kiln to use to produce a series of drawings that fuse images into the glass.
• Thomas Carey, $3,495, to purchase a camera and photography supplies to create a photography collection.
• Kate Garcia Rouh, $3,470, to create a mosaic on the floor and interior walls and columns of the gazebo at Yacht Basin Park in Riverside/Avondale.
• Overstreet Ducasse, $3,300, to create a visual documentary to focus on people, places and the events that have helped shape the city and local communities.
• Meredith Tousey, $1,000, to produce 10-12 paintings depicting present-day and historic imagery of Jacksonville.
The art ventures grants included three grants supporting small arts organizations:
• Art League of Jacksonville Inc., a small organization providing art classes at the Murray Hill Art Center, $10,000.
• Opera Jacksonville, for its work in Duval County Public Schools, $10,000.
• Friends of the St. Augustine Amphitheatre, to provide middle and high-school students access to performances and workshops by the Flamenco Theatre Company when it visits St. Augustine next year as part of the city's 450th anniversary, $10,000.
Four grants were awarded to arts organizations in St. Augustine, supported by the Dr. JoAnn Crisp-Ellert Fund:
• St. Augustine Art Association, to expand its "Tactile Art Show" for the blind and low-vision community, $10,000.
• Flagler College, to support an exhibit at the Crisp-Ellert Gallery relating to the construction and early years of the Hotel Ponce de Leon as part of the 125th anniversary of the hotel's opening, $10,000.
• St. Augustine Historical Society, to frame selected works from the collection to preserve the pieces for exhibit to the public, $7,700.
• Vilano Beach Main Street, to create six mosaic panels of nature, wildlife, history and habitats for the Vilano Beach Nature Boardwalk, $7,000.
In the aging adults field of interest, nine grants were awarded, made possible by the Grace Osborn Endowment, the I.R. Bowen and Katherine Bowen Fund and the Harold K. Smith Unrestricted Fund. Grants included:
• Jewish Family & Community Services, to coordinate cab rides for medical appointments, basic needs and social activities for seniors and disabled adults of the Jewish faith, $3,500.
• ElderSource, to provide 350 elders with warm clothing and blankets during the winter months, $3,500.
• SAGES Coalition Inc., to support its Red Bag Project, which provides a red paper bag for seniors to transport their medications to a physician or pharmacist to check for drug interactions and expirations, $2,500.
• Lend an Ear Outreach Inc., to provide hearing aids, through a qualified audiologist, to seniors with limited or no means to pay, $2,500.
• Seniors on a Mission, to provide meals for seniors who participate in daylong service trips organized by Seniors on a Mission to serve nonprofit organizations, $2,400.
• Seniors Vs. Crime, a project of the Florida Attorney General's Office to provide "no soliciting" signs to citizens over the age of 50, $1,886.
• Hart Felt Ministries Inc., to provide Christmas stockings to 150 frail seniors, $1,500.
• The City, to provide seniors with transportation to the holiday festival in early December, $1,200.
• Senior Life Foundation, to support the "Saving Our Seniors Energy" program, $1,000.
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