DHL Supply Chain warehouse foundation approved in North Jacksonville
Also known as Project Empire, the distribution center comprises a 603,200-square-foot center on 47.13 acres at 10300 Eastport Road.
- By Karen Brune Mathis
- | 12:05 a.m. May 20, 2024
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The city issued a foundation permit May 17 for DHL Supply Chain to build a distribution center in North Jacksonville.
Also known as Project Empire, the project comprises a 603,200-square-foot warehouse on 47.13 acres at 10300 Eastport Road.
Arco National Holdings Inc. of Richmond Heights, Missouri, is the contractor for the foundation at a cost of $565,113.
The city also is reviewing a permit for Arco National Holdings to build the warehouse center at a project cost of $72 million.
GMA Architects of Richmond Heights, Missouri, is the architect. BGE Inc. of Jacksonville is the civil engineer. Environmental Resource Solutions LLC of Jacksonville is the environmental consultant.
The city and the St. Johns River Water Management District have been reviewing permit applications for the project, previously known as Project Empire.
The project is larger than what is described in city incentives legislation, which specified a 400,000-square-foot project.
RES Jacksonville I LLC of Westerville, Ohio, is the applicant and land owner. RES Jacksonville is part of Excel Inc. of Westerville, Ohio.
Excel does business as DHL Supply Chain and the two share the Ohio address.
Plans identify the project as DHL.
The site is south of the San Mateo Little League ballfields in North Jacksonville. To the west across the St. Johns River is Imeson Industrial Park. To the north is Interstate 295.
Zion Jacksonville LLC sold North Jacksonville property Nov. 28, 2023, to a company affiliated with DHL Supply Chain, supporting earlier speculation that the logistics company was the city’s Project Empire.
RES Jacksonville I LLC paid $10.26 million for the undeveloped industrial land along Kraft Road. It bought the site from Bronx, New York-based Zion.
The site is part of 892 acres owned by Zion, but the deed did not specify how much acreage RES bought.
City Council approved a resolution Sept. 26, 2023, for the city to execute a $1.5 million Recapture Enhanced Value Grant for Project Empire, described as “a major international logistics and distribution company,” to build a facility at Kraft and Eastport roads in North Jacksonville.
The legislative summary described a 400,000-square-foot, $64 million center to provide logistics and distribution services throughout the Southeast U.S.
The site plan with the foundation permit shows a larger 603,200-square-foot center at southwest Kraft and Eastport roads in North Jacksonville.
The economic development agreement said it will be completed by Dec. 31, 2025, and create 100 full-time jobs by Dec. 31, 2026.
Empire’s 100 full-time employees will include logisticians, warehouse receiving and shipping personnel.
Project Empire matched the description of DHL, which is part of Germany-based Deutsche Post DHL Group.
DHL Group is an international logistics services company. It has roots in the U.S.
Adrian Dalsey, Larry Hillblom and Robert Lynn in San Francisco founded the company in 1969.
DHL, which became a wholly owned subsidiary of Deutsche Post in 2002, has four divisions. One is Supply Chain for contract logistics, providing warehousing, managed transport and value-added services.
DHL Supply Chain’s U.S. headquarters is in Westerville, Ohio. A new distribution center there brought DHL’s total footprint to about 15 million square feet in Ohio and more than 161 million square feet in North America.
DHL Supply Chain has been posting jobs for a Jacksonville distribution center.