Spec manufacturing facility breaks ground in Pinellas Park
By Breanne Williams
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Jun 27, 2023

A speculative 86,000-square-foot manufacturing facility is under construction in Pinellas Park.

Developer CMNY Transitions is building the warehouse on 12.5 acres at 9251 Belcher Road. Chris Miller and Scott Seward are the principals of CMNY Transitions.

CMNY purchased the property — and the former Transitions Optical manufacturing building to the south of it — in November 2017 for $10.35 million, according to a Pinellas County deed. It has since sold the building to Madico Inc. and retained the 12.5 acres at the northern end of the site where the manufacturing facility is now under construction.

The developers say the project will “address a glaring need in Pinellas County for newer, more functionally efficient manufacturing space.” It is expected to be complete in the first quarter of 2024, and the developers have the flexibility to divide the space between multiple tenants.

ARCO/Murray Construction Co. is the general contractor. Vaughan Commercial Advisors is marketing the space for lease.

The facility will include a 30-foot minimum clear height, eight dock-high overhead doors, drive-in ramps and 122 parking spaces.

“The targeted light manufacturing uses and industries for the building include high-tech components and electronics assembly, pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries, as well as the aerospace and defense industries,” Bruce Vaughan of Vaughan Commercial Advisors said in a statement. “The site would also be well-suited for medical device assembly and manufacturing, an industry that continues to grow and is already well-established in Pinellas County.”

The county’s industrial vacancy rate is currently 2.3%, according to the release. The Pinellas County Employment Sites program gave approximately $1.72 million toward the project — money that will help fund site work, infrastructure and development costs associated with updating the stormwater management and mitigation requirements.

“This building will bring much-needed new industrial/manufacturing space to the county in a time when it is needed,” Teresa Brydon, redevelopment manager with Pinellas County Economic Development, said in a release. “The Belcher product will help transition existing manufacturers into new modern facilities to meet demands tied to their growth.”

Entities connected to CMNY have completed two other development projects in Pinellas County, including the adaptive reuse of the ATK Missile Systems facility at 13133 34th St. N into an Amazon last-mile delivery facility. CMNY also built a warehouse at 4701 Ulmerton Road, which attracted tenants that include BluePearl Pet Hospital, Ferguson Bath, Kitchen & Lighting Gallery and The Original Mattress Factory.