The owner of Gateway Town Center sold part of the property July 25 for $6 million to a California company that specializes in self-storage center development and ownership.
Gateway Town Center, in the Brentwood area north of Downtown, comprises an increasingly active shopping area where several retailers opened recently.
That part does not appear to be part of the transaction.
Instead, it appears that Gateway Town Center might gain a self-storage project on property that is largely vacant and has been offered for sale.
Gateway Town Center opened more than 60 years ago at the Golfair Boulevard and Norwood Avenue exits east along Interstate 95 and north of Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway.
It is north of Springfield and Downtown.
Owner Gateway Retail Center LLC, led by James Goldsmith, has shown on site plans that it is offering 7.23 acres for sale that include the vacant and vacating buildings.
Gateway Retail Center LLC, based in Miami Lakes, sold the property to Global Jacksonville I LLC of Carlsbad, California.
Global Jacksonville I LLC is part of Global Building LLC.
Gateway Retail Center LLC and Global Jacksonville I LLC did not respond to emails asking for comment over the weekend.
Global Building CEO C.W. Tucker Lewis and President Joseph Zummo filed the Jacksonville LLC with the state June 25.
Global-building.com says it is buying office properties and converting them to “lifestyle office buildings” to capitalize on emerging trends.
“Additionally, we acquire vacant retail properties and convert the properties into third generation, climate-controlled self-storage facilities,” it says.
The fund’s investment goals “are to create value for our partners, our tenants and in the communities where we own properties.”
Global Building LLC says it serves as the manager or general partner of all of its private real estate funds and investment syndications. It provides asset management services for all of the properties in its portfolio.
It says it is heading into its 16th year of business.
“We have extensive experience in acquiring and managing office building & self-storage facilities and are leading the way in adapting properties to the needs of tomorrow’s dynamic users,” it says.
The website shows several properties that a Global fund bought and renovated into self-storage centers, in some cases developing other retail stores or pads.
Those include a former community education center and former Menards home-improvement, Sears and Acme grocery store.
It also bought a commerce park.
The site shows those investments in California, Indiana, Iowa, New Jersey and Tennessee.
Global Jacksonville I LLC bought a portion of almost 17.5 acres at Gateway, but the deed recorded July 26 with the Duval County Clerk of Court said the sale was a portion of two real estate parcels and did not specify the acreage.
The sold property is on parcels at 5156 Norwood Ave. and along Remshaw Street.
The portion sold might be the 7.23 acres that Gator Investments said were for sale.
Both properties are south of West 44th Street, also called the 44th Street Extension that runs, through Gateway Town Center.
Gateway Retail Center LLC continues to own almost 36 acres that include the shopping center where the retailers have been opening and the Winn-Dixie grocery store. Those stores opened between 1959 and 2000.
Among the recent tenant moves in the part of the center that Gator Investments continues to own, Hibbett Sports is more than doubling in size as it relocates within the center.
Planet Fitness, Burlington Stores, Five Below and Roses Discount Stores are among the latest tenants that have joined the center.