BJ’s Wholesale Club is on track for a new location in River City Marketplace in North Jacksonville.
Landlord Ramco Jacksonville LLC filed civil engineering plans with the city July 27 to replace the Regal cinemas with the wholesale club.
That takes Ramco closer to demolishing the theater for construction of the proposed 103,005-square-foot wholesale club at 12884 City Center Blvd.
Plans also show a fueling facility on the 10.66-acre site.
Edwards Engineering is the consulting civil engineering firm.
The Regal River City Marketplace remains open. The 60,025-square-foot, 14-screen theater was built in 2006.
The project first sparked interest when JEA received a utility service availability request Nov. 15 for demolition of the Regal building for construction of a wholesale club.
RPT Realty, Ramco’s corporate name, said May 4 in its first-quarter report to investors that it signed a 103,000-square-foot wholesale club to replace the movie theater, but did not identify it as BJ’s.
It included the news again in its Aug. 3 second-quarter investor presentation that a “National Wholesale Club” will replace the Regal Entertainment Group site in River City Marketplace.
It listed BJ’s as a potential new tenant in its national plans, but did not say that was the club replacing the Regal.
A St. Johns River Water Management District application confirmed in June that BJ’s Wholesale Club will replace the Regal cinemas at the shopping center.
Property owner RPT Realty applied to the district to modify a permit to demolish the theater building and build the wholesale club.
The Duval County Tax Collector’s website shows the Regal property is owned by Ramco Jacksonville LLC, based in Farmington Hills, Michigan.
Ramco Properties announced in 2018 that it was changing its name to RPT Realty.
RPT Realty is an open-air shopping center real estate investment trust based in New York.
Wholesale club stores in Jacksonville include BJ’s Wholesale Club, Costco Wholesale Co. and Sam’s Club.
BJ’s operates three Northeast Florida stores, with one in Orange Park and two in Jacksonville at southeast Kernan and Atlantic boulevards and at northwest Philips Highway and Baymeadows Road. It also operates a regional distribution center in West Jacksonville.
BJ’s range from 70,000 to 130,000 square feet, averaging about 111,000 square feet.
Costco has two stores in Jacksonville and one in St. Johns County near World Golf Village.
Sam’s Club has three stores in Jacksonville, including one about 5 miles south of River City Marketplace along Busch Drive.
