JLL to lease new industrial park in Bradenton
By Breanne Williams
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: May 13, 2022

Barron Collier Cos. has tapped JLL to lease the 563,451-square-foot Manatee County Logistics Center.

The center is a new Class A industrial development coming to Bradenton at 44th Ave. E. and US Hwy. 301 intersection. The industrial park includes three 188,000-square-foot buildings and will hold tenants in spaces starting at 23,000 square feet. The project is scheduled to break ground this month and will be delivered in the third quarter of 2023.

The JLL industrial brokerage team of Julia Silva, managing director; John Dunphy, executive managing director; and Peter Cecora, executive vice president, will launch leasing efforts in collaboration with Nick Devito and Brie Tulp, a brokerage team with Ian Black Real Estate.

“With industrial land so scarce in surrounding submarkets, Manatee County is emerging as a desired distribution location and is experiencing a wave of new user and investor interest due to the increasing demand,” JLL’s Silva said in a release. “The planned Manatee County Logistics Center will offer premium industrial space with high-end finishes, lush landscaping and easy access to major highways where companies will want to be, and employees will want to go to work.”

Barron Collier Cos., an investment company with real estate holdings in residential, commercial and industrial markets, is leading the development. In 2021 the company partnered with Imminent Ventures | Development to launch its industrial development platform. The Bradenton project will be the first for the partnership and, according to JLL, was selected “due to its strong market dynamics, including low vacancy rates and significant connectivity to the rest of the state and beyond.”

JLL’s 2022 first-quarter industrial insights report of the greater Tampa Bay region found that the Manatee and Sarasota area has some of the region’s lowest vacancy rates — coming in at around 1.9% — and that rental rates for industrial spaces were up more than 19% year over year. The report shows they reached an average of $9 per square foot in the first quarter.

The industrial campus will include tilt-wall construction, 32-foot clear heights, 54-foot column spacing and ample parking. It has 1,600 feet of US Hwy. 301 frontage and is five miles from Interstate 75.

The Manatee County Logistics Center is in the northern gateway of the Manatee County Industrial Corridor — which is home to Lakewood Ranch, a large master-planned community in the area.

“I knew it was the perfect time for us to pursue this large-scale development in one of the best remaining pieces of land in Manatee County’s industrial corridor,” Robert Richter, founder and CEO of Imminent Ventures | Development, said in a release. “Partnering with a prominent group like Barron Collier Companies with such a meaningful connection to the local community and a reputation for building high-quality real estate in the region was a smart decision for us because, together, we will develop a truly Class A industrial property that future tenants will benefit from the well-thought-out warehouse space and the amenities the property will offer.”