Primus celebrated the groundbreaking of a new 332,701 SF cold storage facility in North Jacksonville, Florida. Also participating in the celebration were Saxum Real Estate, the developer of the project, and Arcadia Cold, the building’s largest tenant.
The new facility will sit on 32 acres in Imeson International Park, just 10 minutes from the the Port of Jacksonville. Representatives from the port, Jacksonville’s Chamber of Commerce and JAXUSA (Jacksonville’s regional economic development initiative) were also in attendance.
Speakers stressed the growing demand for cold storage in the region. “JaxPort is Florida’s largest container port, and refrigerated cargo is an important segment of our container business,” said Rick Schiappacasse, director of the port’s forest products and specialty cargoes. “Over the last few years, we’ve added nearly 800,000 SF of refrigerated cargo space.”
“The demand for cold storage has intensified since the pandemic. There is a real need to shore up the supply chain,” said Primus President Matt Hirsch. “We are seeing more and more cold storage warehouses being built speculatively to meet that demand.”
The new warehouse will feature convertible cold storage spaces with temperatures ranging from -10°F to 40°F and a total of 30,254 pallet positions. QFR blast freezing will also be available. “We design these buildings to meet the future needs of potential tenants,” Hirsch said about the space. “We’ve been designing and building cold storage facilities for 23 years and have a good handle on the features that tenants will require.” Additional elements include 32 loading docks, support spaces (locker room, conference room, break room, office, driver’s lounge), a USDA room, 62 trailer storage spaces and 109 parking spaces.
According to the Jacksonville Daily Record, the City Council voted 17-0 to approve the project. The new cold storage warehouse will open in early 2024 and bring 65-70 full-time jobs to the area.