Bachelor Properties LLC is making progress toward developing a 500,002-square-foot warehouse at the West Jacksonville property it bought in 2022-23.
The city issued a mobility fee calculation certificate July 22 for the project, which is proposed on 23.04 acres along West Beaver Street and Interstate 10.
The site is east of Addor Lane between Interstate 10 and West Beaver Street, west of the Hammond Boulevard interchange with I-10.
The city calculated a mobility fee of $167,956 to support the development impact.
Atwill LLC of Jacksonville is the project agent.
Principal Eric Bachelor said Aug. 20 that Bachelor Properties is preparing the property and soliciting “really high-end users” who seek a build-to-suit structure for their specifications rather than building a speculative structure that would then need to be retrofitted.
“We are soliciting users as we speak,” he said.
Bachelor said the location has strong visibility along I-10; has interchange accessibility; has rail access; and is near Downtown and the port. The site is west of the I-10 interchange with I-295.
Bachelor said an example of a targeted user would be one that seeks a combination of dry, refrigerated and freezer storage space. Those tenants include food and other users that need a combination of such uses.
“It is a build-to-suit with everything ready to go at a location you can’t duplicate anywhere else,” Bachelor said.
“The plans are pretty much complete and with minor revision we can do it quickly,” he said.
Bachelor said the building has an option for two stories “and we can go 1 million square feet. Nobody else can do that unless you do what we’re doing.”
“It’s a model location and we are wanting to build the best of the best for the best,” Bachelor said.
“That’s the key.”
Bachelor said such a project takes a couple of years for site permitting and a year to build.
Bachelor Properties announced July 1 it planned to develop a one- or two-story distribution center at the site with up to 1 million square feet of space.
According to the news release, The Keyes Co. Commercial Vice President Carlos Villanueva represents Bachelor Properties, owner of the build-to-suit project addressed as 514 Addor Lane.
The release said a one-story distribution center would span more than 500,000 square feet.
After a lease is completed, construction would take 14 to 18 months.
“With its strategic location, modern amenities and customizable features, we believe it will catalyze growth and innovation in the region’s bustling logistics sector,” Villanueva said in the release.
Bachelor Properties is based in Plantation. Keyes is based in Coral Gables.
Bachelor Properties bought the property in three transactions in September 2022 and April 2023.
The site is 5 miles from the CSX Intermodal and Norfolk Southern rail terminals and has a proposed rail spur connecting to the adjacent CSX rail line.
“Situated near established giants like Publix and Michael’s Distribution Centers, the new facility boasts a sleek and modern design with a versatile floor plan tailored to businesses’ diverse needs across industries,” said the release.
It has 40-foot-high ceilings; parking for tenants and visitors; a security system; and energy-efficient features.
The release said tenants can choose from refrigerated and freezer space as part of the build-out.
It has 140 dock-height loading docks and four drive-in bays.
The release said the center is available for lease as a build-to-suit for a single tenant.
Bachelor said Aug. 20 the property group sees Jacksonville as an opportunity.
“It’s a hidden gem with all of the things you would have in Miami but not the traffic and the other issues,” he said.
“It can serve all the Panhandle. It can serve South Carolina, it can serve South Georgia,” he said.
He also said the recent St. Johns River channel dredging made it possible for JaxPort to accommodate bigger ships, which would bring more cargo and distribution business to the area.
Bachelor said the city administration “is really wanting to attract business.”
“We think it is one of the best cities that is available for this type of thing. That is why we are doing it,” he said.