Last updated on September 1, 2021

An Atlanta developer — that’s worked on numerous Amazon projects in the Orlando area — plans to build a new distribution center in Brevard County.

Atlanta-based Seefried Industrial Properties seeks approvals to build the 201,475-square-foot distribution center on 28.2 acres at 3655 Grissom Parkway in Cocoa, according to documents filed to the St. Johns Water Management District. Plans call the proposed development “Project Sunshine,” but it wasn’t immediately known who the tenant is or if this is a speculative development.

A Seefried representative wasn’t available for comment, and city of Cocoa spokeswoman Samantha Senger told OBJ she didn’t have any information about the project. Raleigh, North Carolina-based Kimley-Horn and Associates Inc. is civil engineer and landscape architect. San Antonio-based DC Johnson & Associates Inc. is the surveyor.

Space Coast Airport Business Center Inc. is the property owner. David Gunter of Melbourne-based Law Office of David A. Gunter P.A. who represents the entity wasn’t available for comment.

The project may cost $13.1 million to build, based on industry standards. New construction is an important regional economic driver, creating part- and full-time jobs along with new space for residents, businesses and more.

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Big demand
Brevard County — east of Orlando and stretching along the Atlantic coast — had been excluded from the search for industrial space until the recent e-commerce explosion sent developers and companies like Seattle-based Amazon.com Inc. (Nasdaq: AMZN) scurrying for space across the U.S. and region to deliver goods to people faster.

In addition, Brevard County has seen more job growth from private space companies such as Kent, Washington-based Blue Origin LLC and Hawthorne, California-based SpaceX along with defense contractors such as Bethesda, Maryland-based Lockheed Martin Corp. (NYSE: LMT) and Falls Church, Virginia-based Northrop Grumman Corp.

These factors have made the county more attractive for new industrial growth, said Mike Moss, vice president of industrial properties with Melbourne-based Lightle Beckner Robison Inc., who isn’t involved in the Seefried deal. In fact, the Melbourne industrial real estate market — which includes Cocoa — has a tight 4.9% average vacancy rate, according to CoStar Group. In total, the market has about 29.5 million square feet of industrial space. The submarket’s average monthly industrial rent is $9.11 per square foot.

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Moss said he continues to get calls from out-of-town companies needing mostly between 10,000-50,000 square feet of space in Brevard County. “Demand is still strong.”