Wawa is bringing its hoagies, coffee and gas pumps to Jacksonville Aviation Authority land near Amazon.com in North Jacksonville pending approval May 20 of a ground lease with JAA.
The authority is scheduled to vote May 20 on approval of a ground lease with Wawa Florida LLC for about 3.4 acres of undeveloped land.
The site is at the Pecan Park Road entrance to the Amazon fulfillment center. Duval Road turns into International Airport Boulevard north of Pecan Park Road. It is about a half-mile northeast of Interstate 295.
Pennsylvania-based Wawa would improve the property with a 6,100-square-foot gas station and convenience store within the JAX Commerce Centre South, which is property owned by JAA. The property is near Jacksonville International Airport.
The approval submission shows the lease is for 20 years with the right to extend it up to 40 years.
Lease terms start at $60,000 annually for the first five years, rising to $120,000 annually for years six through 10; $128,400 annually for years 11 through 15; and $137,388 annually for years 16-20.
Rent will be adjusted for years 21 and later.
Rent will start the earlier of either the day Wawa opens, or 240 days after receiving all permits and approvals, or two years after execution of the lease.
JAA will be responsible for completion of a Federal Aviation Administration-required environmental assessment and a commission payment to CBRE, which contacted JAA about the deal in July 2021.
The JAA deal document says Wawa entered the Jacksonville market in 2017 and hired the CBRE commercial real estate firm to search for sites. JAA and Wawa entered into an initial nonbinding letter of intent in November 2021 for a site in the JAX Commerce Center South.
The agreement was revised in May 2022, followed by a site access and indemnity agreement in October 2022. That provided Wawa site control and more time to complete its design and due diligence while the lease terms were drafted.
The agreement has been amended twice and is set to expire May 31, 2024.
JAA management recommends that the JAA board approved the ground lease agreement and authorize JAA CEO Mark VanLoh to execute the deal.
The board is scheduled to meet May 20 immediately after an 8:30 a.m. Finance and Audit Committee meeting.
Permit in review
Meanwhile, the city is reviewing a permit application for Wawa Inc. to build the gas station and convenience store at a project cost of almost $1.08 million.
Cuhaci & Peterson Architects of Maitland is the consultant for the project at 12654 Pecan Park Road.
The permit application shows that Wawa proposes a 6,119-square-foot gas station and convenience store at an estimated $750,000, a gas canopy at $250,000 and a dumpster enclosure at $75,000.
Jacksonville-based England-Thims & Miller Inc. is the civil engineer.
The city issued a mobility fee calculation certificate for the building with eight fueling stations with 16 fuel pumps on 4.8 acres.
The city determined a fee of $459,708 to mitigate the development impact. The certificate is dated July 27, 2023.
The master site plan shows the development will take 3.38 acres.
Wawa's expansion
Wawa confirmed its interest in Northeast Florida in January 2016 as it was expanding in Florida.
In a June 2016 presentation in Clay County, Wawa said it intended to roll into North Florida in a big way, with at least 30 locations eventually.
John Poplawski, vice president of real estate, said then that Northeast Florida is at least a 30-store market, and it could expand to 40 or more, depending on customer support.