Sansone Group, Broadstone Break Ground on 1 MSF Distribution Center

August 23, 2023

A major supplier of natural and organic foods will occupy the Florida project.

A United Natural Foods Inc. distribution warehouse located in Rocklin, Calif. Image courtesy of CommercialEdge

Sansone Group, in partnership with Broadstone Net Lease, broke ground on a distribution center of more than 1 million square feet for United Natural Foods Inc. in Sarasota, Fla. The project is slated for completion in September 2024.

Sansone Group acts as developer, while BNL is serving as owner and capital provider. The two companies planned the project for more than two years, with the participation of JLL. ARCO Design Build is the project architect, as reported by Winsight Grocery Business.

According to the same source, the distribution center will replace a 734,000-square-foot warehouse. Upon completion, the air-conditioned warehouse will feature a full-building water filtration system, natural daylight and dimmable lighting and will incorporate KNAPP re-pack automation.

The facility is taking shape within the 300-acre master-planned SRQ Logistics Center at Tallevast Road, near the Sarasota Branden International Airport. The property will have access to Interstate 75 and U.S. Route 301 and will be some 50 miles south of downtown Tampa.

UNFI has several distribution centers throughout the country in Florida, California, Indiana, Minnesota, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, New Jersey and others. Its industrial footprint amounts to a total of 9.6 million square feet, CommercialEdge data shows.

Other Sansone Group projects

Since its inception, Sansone Group has developed more than 40 million square feet of retail, multi-family and industrial space. One of the firm’s projects is a cold storage development in the Ybor City area of Tampa, Fla., which recently received a $40 million financing package.

Sansone also developed Tac-Pal Logistics Center, a recently completed 702,450-square-foot industrial building in Palmyra, N.J., in partnership with a fund advised by Crow Holdings Capital. YesWay Logistics signed a 252,000-square-foot lease at the property last month.