Construction crews have broken ground on a third phase of Imeson Landing Business Park in North Jacksonville, where Merritt Properties plans three new shallow-bay industrial buildings totaling 126,500 square feet. The expansion, once finished, is expected to push the park's total footprint to 392,700 square feet. Completion is targeted for the second quarter of 2027.
According to Merritt Properties, the new buildings will rise across the road from the park's five existing buildings, which together total 266,200 square feet. The third phase is split into three structures: Building 600 at 39,600 square feet, Building 700 at 42,900 square feet, and Building 800 at 44,000 square feet, the company says. The project is located at Zoo Parkway and Imeson Park Boulevard in Duval County, according to West Orlando News.
The new buildings will offer 16- and 18-foot clear heights along with 90- to 100-foot truck courts, per Merritt's announcement. The phase also introduces small-bay incubator spaces of 1,650 square feet each, which are designed with two offices, a bathroom, a climate-controlled warehouse and at-grade drive-in access — a format aimed at smaller or growing businesses that don't need a full-size warehouse yet.
Merritt's First Ground-Up Jacksonville Project
Pat Franklin called the milestone significant because Imeson Landing represents Merritt's first ground-up development in Jacksonville, as reported by Jax Daily Record. Franklin also said the company has seen strong demand for well-located, flexible light industrial space suited to businesses at different stages of growth, according to the same Merritt announcement. ARCO/Design Build is serving as general contractor on the new phase, continuing its role as a partner on the project since the park first broke ground.
Merritt entered the Jacksonville market in 2021, and construction at Imeson Landing began in March 2022. Phase two followed in July 2023 and wrapped up in March 2024, the company's news release states. In 2023, NAIOP Northeast Florida named Imeson Landing its New Construction Project of the Year. It's worth noting that an earlier Merritt announcement had projected the completed park would total 380,700 square feet across eight buildings, while the company's most recent release puts the finished total at 392,700 square feet — a discrepancy the company has not explained.
A Northside Market With Rising Vacancy
The timing lands amid a shifting industrial landscape on Jacksonville's Northside. The submarket carried roughly 32.5 million square feet of industrial inventory in the second quarter of 2026, with vacancy near 11 percent — up from both the first quarter of 2026 and the same period a year earlier as speculative projects added supply, per a market update from NAI Hallmark. Average asking net rents for buildings around 100,000 square feet sat in the mid-$8-per-square-foot range during that same window, the firm's report notes.
Recent speculative completions in the area included Inlight's EastPort and Pan Am's Airport Logistics, which later sold to CIP, the NAI Hallmark update notes. Looking further ahead, nearly 3 million square feet is planned for NXT Point Logistics on Pecan Park Road, a project tied to Jacksonville-based Suddath. JAXPORT handled about 1.39 million TEUs in fiscal year 2025 and remains a key driver of demand for Northside warehouse space, with the region offering same-day shipping access to roughly 98 million consumers.
Leasing activity elsewhere in the Northside has stayed brisk despite the added vacancy. Natural Life signed for 104,000 square feet at Tradeport, the most recently cited major deal in the submarket, while other leases topping 100,000 square feet included US Ply at EastPort and both Graybar and Frederick Trucking at Imeson itself, according to the same NAI Hallmark update.
Bigger Projects Also Taking Shape Nearby
Imeson Landing isn't the only major industrial push underway in North Jacksonville. Airport Commerce Center, a planned two-building development totaling 821,720 square feet across 76.64 acres, is also moving forward, with the first two buildings designed at 566,720 and 255,000 square feet, Jax Daily Record reported. The broader site is designed for five buildings totaling about 3 million square feet, and NXTPoint Logistics is expected to establish its headquarters in the roughly 566,000-square-foot building there.
Merritt Properties describes itself as a full-service commercial real estate developer with more than 21 million square feet of space across the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast. At Imeson Landing, leasing efforts are being handled by Ross Crabtree and Luke Pope alongside the firm JLL, while existing buildings at the park feature 18- to 20-foot clear heights and rear-loaded docks configured to support a range of business operations, with immediate access to Interstates 95 and 295.
