Toronto-based First Gulf is working toward construction of its first speculative warehouse at its West Jacksonville industrial park, its entrance into the U.S. market.
The city is reviewing a permit application for construction of a 109,340-square-foot shell building at a project cost of $5.37 million on 53.87 acres at 9388 Pritchard Road, west of Interstate 295.
ARCO Design/Build of Ponte Vedra Beach is the contractor. OneFourTwo Architecture Inc. of Atlanta is the architect. Codes-ABC Inc. of Orange Park is handling code compliance. Jacksonville-based England-Thims & Miller Inc. is the civil engineer.
First Gulf submitted civil engineering plans to the city April 25 for its proposed two-building, more than 400,000-square-foot industrial park. It also filed plans with the St. Johns River Water Management District.
ARCO Design/Build said site clearing is underway, and grading will begin in the next two weeks. The city is reviewing a clearing permit for the site at a project cost of $2.235 million.
First Gulf is developing the project through FG Jacksonville I LP.
The property is along Pritchard Road on Westlake Parcel 4 in Westlake Industrial Park.
While drawings vary, the April master site plan shows Building 1 at 109,200 square feet and Building 2 at 295,920 square feet, totaling 405,120 square feet. The site is 53.87 acres.
The permit application also had a reference to 109,200 square feet.
First Gulf paid $5.6 million in July 2023 for the property where it said it plans to develop its first U.S. industrial park at an anticipated investment of more than $50 million.
Through FG Jacksonville I LP, First Gulf bought the land from Martel Holdings LLC of Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania.
Martel Holdings LLC is led by Bill Martel, head of Hanover Cold Storage.
Martel Holdings LLC bought the land in June 2022 from Atlanta-based Norfolk Southern Corp., through Westlake Land Management Inc., for $3.24 million.
In June 2023, the First Gulf vice president of strategic initiatives and operations said the company intended to buy about 53.87 acres and develop two buildings totaling 407,250 square feet on Parcel 4 in Westlake Industrial Park.
About 34 acres of the parcel can be developed.
First Gulf plans to develop two Class A industrial buildings that can be multi- or single-tenant, based on demand.
First Gulf is the commercial division of the Great Gulf Group, which develops, constructs and manages residential, resort, recreational, commercial and industrial real estate across 20 markets in North America.