Daily Record FINANCIAL NEWS &
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 22, 2017
VOL. 104, NO. 092 • ONE SECTION
35¢
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Gate files to expand HQ store
Skinners plan for Baymeadows retail centers One lease is signed and three are in process at the new retail center By Karen Brune Mathis Managing Editor Skinner family members continue to develop land they own in Southside with the Bay95 retail center and possibly another larger one next to it. Charles Skinner, vice president of Property Theater LLC, intends to develop the multitenant Bay95 on 1.9 acres of the northeast quadrant of Baymeadows Road and Interstate 295. He will develop it for Bay95 LLC, which is a real estate investment company owned by his brothers, Russell R. Skinner and Bryant B. Skinner Jr. The Skinners are the descendants of the Skinner family, which owned thousands
Special to the Daily Record
By Karen Brune Mathis Managing Editor
Charles Skinner and his family expect to complete the Bay95 shopping center in the fall at Baymeadows Road East and R.G. Skinner Parkway. of acres of agricultural land that eventually became the St. Johns Town Center and other developments. Charles Skinner said he has a signed lease for one of the nine retail spaces at the new project and three more are in negotiation. He declined to identify them. Both end units will feature a drive-thru window, likely indicating at least two food-service tenants. Skinner expects the 14,400-square-foot retail center will be available in November. It is a $1.728 million investment. The architect is Kasper Architects + Associates. EnVision Design + Engineering LLC is the civil engineer. No contractor has been chosen, he said. Skinner said the center has direct access
on and off of Interstate 295. The property is near the Ikea under development at northwest Gate Parkway and I-295 and other projects along Gate Parkway, including the new Southside Quarter and the Gateway Village at Town Center properties. Also, he said Bay95 will be near more than 1,000 apartments that were developed by Fort Family Investments, the Old Still single-family residential project, the Sweetwater by Del Webb community and the established Deerwood Country Club. Bay95 fronts R.G. Skinner Parkway to the north along Baymeadows Road East. Across the parkway are about 10 acres where the Skinners are contemplating BAY95 CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
Gate Petroleum Co. is redeveloping one of its most prominent Gate stores — the one in front of its headquarters. The Jacksonville-based company, which services about 200 stations with half branded as Gate, proposes to demolish the store in front of its 9540 San Jose Blvd. executive building. It then wants to rebuild it bigger and better. The existing store, built in 2000, is about 5,400 square feet. The new one will be 6,400 square feet and feature the Gate Fresh Kitchen, frozen yogurt and an outside dining area. The existing Gate has 22 vehicle fueling positions and the new one will have 24, according to city documents. Spokeswoman Misty Skipper said the model is the same as the new Gate being developed in Nocatee. Gate expects to use that design for many of its future stores. As it expands its in-store offerings with a focus on freshly made foods, Skipper said the company is bringing its new design to the headquarters store. She said the Fresh Kitchen is a fast-casual café that serves freshly prepared pizza, chicken tenders, smoothies and specialty coffees. It also carries salads and sandwiches, frozen yogurt, hot dogs and fountain drinks. Skipper declined to comment about the cost of the redevelopment. Gate is working toward completion before year-end, she said. A contractor has not been chosen. Site plans filed with the city identify Prosser Inc. as the civil engineer. A car wash is not planned, she said. The store sits on about 2.6 acres at San Jose Boulevard and Sunbeam Road. Gate’s headquarters building was developed in 1999, property records show. The site also includes company warehouses. Gate is building and planning several new stores, including in the Brooklyn area near Downtown, in Nocatee, at Philips Highway and Florida 9B and in Atlantic Beach. It also is expected to open in Durbin Park in St. Johns County. Gate Petroleum owns the 1,600-acre Durbin Park property and is working with GATE
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JEA union OKs raises from 2% to 5% a year By Max Marbut Staff Writer
Just minutes before JEA’s board of directors met Tuesday, CEO Paul McElroy and Ronnie Burris, business manager of Laborers’ International Union of North America Local 630, reached an agreement on the details of the last of new contracts with the five unions representing JEA employees. Monday is the deadline for JEA to conclude its collective bargaining negotiations, with board approval and agreements ready to be sent to City Council. The laborers’ union was the last to reach agreement. “We were later than the others
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because we didn’t feel we could talk about economics until we knew whether the pension plan was approved,” said Burris, referring to voter approval in November of a half-cent sales tax to pay down the pension plans’ $2.8 billion in unfunded liabilities. The tax will not go into effect until around 2031. JEA already reached agreements with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, JEA Supervisors Association, Professional Employees Association and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. All of the new agreements include pay raises of at least 2 percent to compensate for an
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additional contribution from employees, ranging from 8 to 10 percent of their salaries. The payroll amount increase for JEA for the five agreements is about $20.5 million over the three-year terms of the agreements. Three of the unions’ members have approved the agreements, with the IBEW and LIUNA each voting later this week. McElroy said the electrical workers union leadership is confident the members will vote in favor of the new contract on Thursday. “We reached agreement at the table,” he said. Burris is equally confident about his membership’s vote
scheduled Friday. “We got the best pay raise,” he said. “We’ve endorsed it. I see no reason it won’t pass.” “This is the final piece of the puzzle in the city’s pension plan,” McElroy said. While the other new contracts include pay raises of 2 to 3 percent per year, the laborers’ new deal is a 4.5 percent raise the first year, 5 percent the second year and 4.5 percent in the third year. The total increase in salaries over three years included in the new agreements is about $20.5 million. The contracts will become part of the pension reform package the mayor’s office will present as an ordinance to council, expected
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McElroy early in April. mmarbut@jaxdailyrecord.com (904) 356-2466
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