Walden Woods Business Center was industrial zoned land located at the southwest quadrant of  Park Road and Jim Johnson Road in Plant City,  Florida.  This location is several miles off the central  industrial corridor associated with Interstate 4.  The total size exceeds 500 acres.  About 312 acres of this is usable, the balance being wetlands or conservation areas.  Only half the total tract was entitled under a DRI obtained by WCI Communities, developer of the very successful residential projects known as Walden Lakes.  With its distance from the interstate corridor, demand for industrial lots proved to be local, resulting in sales in the range of 1 to 4 acres. 

Challenge:

• Hundreds of industrial acres located outside the industrial corridor
• Local industrial user sales too small to absorb entire project in reasonable time frame
• Owner publically traded requiring significant reporting and procedural attention to multiple departments
• Engineering issues complicate layout and design

Services provided:

• Marketing
• Community relations
• Coordination with legal and land use change team
• Advertising
• Budgeting

Results:

Colliers Arnold recommended and assisted in a change of land use and zoning to allow residential and multifamily use.  These changes created sales opportunities for larger tracts, the first being 42 acres rezoned for multi-family.  The initial parcel was rezoned by WCI and sold shortly thereafter.  Subsequent rezonings became responsibility of buyers, who proved eager to purchase under those conditions.  All but 29 acres were sold; the remainder are under contract.

Sales Team:

Edward Miller, CCIM
Dolores Seymour MCR.h, CCIM
Mark McKell
Colliers Arnold

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