Marking its 12th Jacksonville center, the city issued a permit March 14 for internet retailer Amazon to build out 260,970 square feet of space at 1700 Imeson Road at a project cost of $16.6 million.
Bryan Builders LLC of Longwood is the contractor for the work in Building 2 in the 39.13-acre Commonwealth Logistics Center in West Jacksonville.
The park is at southwest Imeson Road and Commonwealth Avenue, near Interstates 10 and 295, which both connect to I-95.
The project is described as a warehouse package-type facility including package sorting and delivery. Plans do not name Amazon, which was identified in other documents.
On June 21, 2024, the city granted an administrative deviation from the city zoning code, saying the property owner was retrofitting the warehouse to provide for Amazon in the 272,190-square-foot structure built in 2023.
The deviation allows Amazon to provide 460 parking spaces on the site, up from the maximum 150 that had been allowed.
The city noted that the tenant proposed distributing through passenger vehicles. The 460 spaces would be used for the parking demands for employees and the flexible loading on-site.
The city then issued a horizontal development permit July 17, 2024, for removing the existing striping/curb and restriping the existing vehicle use at a project cost of $100,000.
Plans referred to the project as SJA1 and Project Teapot. Documents confirmed it as Amazon.
That code does not confirm but does hint that it might be a same-day delivery center.
Amazon uses codes for its properties. SJA1 means it is the first of its variety in Jacksonville.
S matches the code used for one of Amazon’s newest same-day sites in Sacramento, California — known as SCA5
There’s no explanation why it is called Project Teapot.
The property owner is listed as AIREIT Commonwealth Logistics Center LLC, in care of Ares Management LLC in Denver. InLight Real Estate Partners of Ponte Vedra Beach developed the park.
Kimley-Horn and Associates Inc. is the civil engineer.
Amazon.com has 11 facilities in the region. The Commonwealth warehouse would make it a dozen.
The Seattle-based online retailer opened its first two fulfillment centers in September 2017 in Northwest Jacksonville and October 2017 in AllianceFlorida at Cecil Commerce Center in West Jacksonville, with the help of $26.7 million in city and state incentives for creating 2,700 jobs.
Since then, it opened another fulfillment center, two sortation centers, a heavy bulk freight center and several delivery stations.
None of those subsequent facilities received incentives.
Cushman & Wakefield Managing Directors Tyler Newman and Jacob Horsley are representing Commonwealth Logistics Center, which was scheduled for delivery for tenant build-out in the second quarter of 2023.
The property brochure shows that 121,938 square feet remains available for lease in Building 1.