Warehouses under construction in Auburndale next to Amazon distribution center

Two new warehouses are set to be built next to the Amazon distribution center along Interstate 4, a site plan approved in Auburndale shows.

The plans show a 474,600-square-foot warehouse and a 421,800-square-foot warehouse along C. Fred Jones Boulevard between Amazon and the intersection of State Road 559.

"The property will be sharing access with Amazon warehouse site," said city planner Jesse Pearson in an email response to a request for the site plan. "The Community Development Department cannot confirm what tenants will be occupying the site."

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Rendering of Auburndale warehouse project
Rendering of Auburndale warehouse project

The approved plans were labeled as the Auburndale Warehouse Distribution Park in a site plan prepared by engineering consultant Kimley-Horn.

The land was bought by Dalfen Industrial LLC, an industrial real estate investment firm with multiple offices nationwide and headquartered in Dallas, Texas. The land was bought for $25.7 million from the Mancini Cos. in November 2021.

According to a Dalfen blog post, ground has been broken for the Class A facilities totaling 893,400 square feet. They are set for completion in 2023.

The 73.6-acre property is one of the few industrial-zoned sites in Central Florida without any wetland or floodplain issues, Dalfen said.

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Two warehouses next to Amazon's facility in Auburndale have been approved by city planning.
Two warehouses next to Amazon's facility in Auburndale have been approved by city planning.

The land is 16 miles from downtown Lakeland, between Tampa and Orlando, with access to Interstate 4, Dalfen said. The Port of Tampa is about 46 miles away.

In addition to Amazon, nearby warehouse tenants in the area include PepsiCo some 6 miles away, Walmart, UPS and Sysco.

"The location along a top logistics corridor in Florida makes this development a valuable addition to the company’s portfolio," said Dalfen's southeast development director, Tyler McElroy.

Dalfen owns 16 other industrial properties in the Florida and a total of 67 buildings in the southeast.

In the last few months, the company announced plans to develop a 1.3 million-square-foot Class A logistics center in Charleston, S.C., which will be the largest in the Charleston market upon completion, the blog said.

Dalfen also acquired Belvedere Logistics Center, a 348,000-square foot industrial facility in Sacramento, Calif., for $42.8 million, which marked its ninth California investment.

Paul Nutcher can be reached at pnutcher@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Plans for warehouses in Auburndale next to Amazon distribution center