TUESDAY December 10, 2019
Public legal notices begin on page 3
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Daily Record JACKSONVILLE
LOGISTICS
THE MATHIS REPORT
Daily Record
Amazon wants to turn old Kmart into delivery center
JACKSONVILLE
Daily Record Daily Record JACKSONVILLE
KAREN BRUNE MATHIS EDITOR
GoPuff adds warehouse, plans another
JACKSONVILLE Photos by Monty Zickuhr
Amazon wants to rezone this former Kmart at 4645 Blanding Blvd. to allow for an e-commerce distribution, fulfillment and delivery center.
of loading docks, trailer storage, van staging and loading areas and employee and van parking. The plan shows 111,718 square feet total of nonresidential floor area for the project. The application states that additional parcels might be added as Phase II, but did not elaborate. It said plans for Phase II would be submitted separately and its likely primary use would be vehicle staging, storage and/or parking. The project architect is Meriden, Connecticut-based BL Companies and the land use attorney is Patrick Krechowski
Jacksonville residents most need their snacks and other convenience products late night and also on Sunday, according to the goPuff delivery service. And here’s some of what they order the most: n Fruit Gushers Flavor Mixer n Bud Light n Ben & Jerry’s Half Baked Ice Cream n Zephyrhills Spring Water n Charmin toilet paper That’s according to spokeswoman Brigid Gorham at Philadelphia-based goPuff, an online retailer that delivers convenience items daily from noon to 4:30 a.m. The delivery charge is a flat $1.95 per order. Those Jacksonville consumer observations came from the first two goPuff warehouses that opened since June in Jacksonville. A third opened at noon Dec. 9, in Arlington. A fourth appears to be planned for Springfield. GoPuff warehouses stock and deliver more than 2,500 products that include snacks, ice cream, dog treats, beverages,
SEE AMAZON, PAGE 2
SEE MATHIS, PAGE 2
City is reviewing plans for the closed Westside Kmart along Blanding Boulevard. BY SCOTT SAILER STAFF WRITER
Amazon.com, already with four major centers in Jacksonville, plans to develop a fifth at a closed Kmart along Blanding Boulevard in Westside. The 107,000-square-foot discount department store at 4645 Blanding Blvd. closed almost seven years ago. The city is reviewing plans to rezone the property for use as an e-commerce distribution, fulfillment and delivery center. Seattle-based Amazon is listed as the developer in the PUD description. The property is between Blanding and Wesconnett boulevards on the Westside. The property owner, Miami-based Blanding Self Storage LLC, purchased three contiguous parcels, totaling 11.37 acres, in February and August for $4.8 million. Austin Kay, vice president and retail specialist with NAI Hallmark, said Blanding Self Storage originally wanted to use the building for self-storage and sell the
A storage unit and trash bins were in the parking lot of the old Kmart on Dec. 9. Work also was being done inside the former store.
additional parking lot area to a commercial user. Kay and Eric Yi, a retail associate with NAI Hallmark, then relisted the property for sale or lease to potential users. Kay said he and Yi started discussions in April with Amazon to lease the property for the distribution facility. The lease was signed in July, he said. The city issued a permit July 31 for Blanding Self Storage to demolish the interior of the building at a job cost of $35,000. Kay said the interior has been gutted. A Phase I site plan by Fort Lauderdalebased Langan Engineering and Environmental Services Inc. shows the addition
Service offers snacks and other convenience products from noon to 4:30 a.m.
Newk’s Eatery closes at Town Center A little more than two years after it opened, Newk’s Eatery closed its Town Center Promenade restaurant. The Jackson, Mississippi-based fast-casual chain continues to operate four Jacksonville locations in North and South Jacksonville and in Mandarin. The 4520 Town Center Parkway location opened in July 2017. “This physical location has closed, and we have consolidated our restaurant operations to our location at The Avenues on Southside Boulevard,” says a recorded message on the Newk’s phone number. Newk’s says it operates and franchises more than 120 restaurants in 16 states.
VOLUME 107, NO. 17 • ONE SECTION