Published:
The St. Joe Company Announces Masterplanning Agreements with Haskell and TranSystems
WEST BAY, Fla. - (BUSINESS WIRE) - The St. Joe Company (NYSE:JOE) today announced that it has entered into
agreements with The Haskell Company, America's Green Design-Build
Leader, and TranSystems Corporation, one of the world's leading
transportation planning and engineering firms, to masterplan JOE land
adjacent to the new Panama City - Bay County International Airport which
is scheduled to open in May 2010.
The initial parcels are being planned and positioned for office, retail
and industrial users, totaling approximately 1,000 acres (400 hectares).
This land is a portion of approximately 71,000 acres (28,400 hectares)
that St. Joe owns within the West Bay Sector, a large mixed-use
master-planned project located in Bay County in Northwest Florida. The
sector is anchored by the new 4,000-acre (1,600-hectare) international
airport now under construction.
"With the scheduled opening of the airport now less than one year away,
we are accelerating our preconstruction activity and stepping up
marketing outreach to global users who need ready access to the new
airport," said St. Joe's president and CEO Britt Greene. "Our land at
West Bay is a world-class asset, and our marketing outreach is to global
users. Our initial marketing focus will be aerospace, logistics and
defense-oriented technology companies."
"Our land at West Bay also has easy access to a nearby deepwater port in
Panama City and very good road and rail connections," said Greene. "It's
truly a unique opportunity to be part of one of Florida's largest
mixed-use planned developments."
"We are very pleased to have The Haskell Company and TranSystems working
with us on our project at West Bay," said Greene. "Haskell has earned
its reputation as one of the best design-build firms in the nation.
TranSystems is an acknowledged leader in engineering and planning and
supply-chain management consulting. Together, we can provide a complete
solution for a broad range of commercial, industrial, office and retail
users."
"JOE's project at West Bay is one of the most exciting we've seen in a
long time," said Steve Halverson, President and CEO of The Haskell
Company. "There are very few greenfield opportunities with a strategic
location and high-quality access to an airport, a deepwater port, road
and rail connections. We are proud to be part of a team that can deliver
a valuable product to a wide range of users."
"The site at West Bay brings tremendous resources to service the campus
cluster style that leading edge technology users demand in a Green
environment. With the new Airport added to the transportation
infrastructure mix, this development provides for the realization of
what it means to be a world leading LEAN site that wrings out
inefficiencies in the supply chain," said Brian Larson, President, CEO
and Chairman of the Board of TranSystems.
As part of the master-planning process, the team is creating a
development node capable of joining the Gulf Coast's aerospace corridor.
A concentration of U.S. Air Force, Navy and Army aerospace and aviation
facilities along the Florida, Alabama and Mississippi Gulf Coast have
created a cluster of aerospace and aviation businesses and workforce
talent in the region.
This Gulf Coast corridor also includes the site selected by Northrop
Grumman and EADS for the final assembly of a new aerial tanker, the
KC-45, for the U.S. Air Force, should they win the contract. The U.S.
Air Force is expected to issue the new bid package for the $35 billion
(25 billion euro) aerial tanker project later this summer. Northrop
Grumman and EADS have teamed to compete for the contract.
St. Joe's project at West Bay is part of the larger West Bay Sector
Plan, a product of Florida's unique sector planning process. A planning
framework is in place for approximately 75,000 acres (30,000 hectares),
which includes the airport, to ensure long-term land-use compatibility.
Approximately 41,000 acres (16,500 hectares) in the West Bay Sector have
been preserved forever through the establishment of the West Bay
Preservation Area.
About JOE
The St. Joe Company (NYSE: JOE), a publicly held company based in
Jacksonville, is one of Florida's largest real estate development
companies and Northwest Florida's largest private landowner. We are
primarily engaged in real estate development and sales, with significant
interests in timber. More information about St. Joe can be found at our
web site at www.joe.com.
About Haskell
Haskell is one of America's leading integrated, single-source, design,
build firms practicing in the general building and civil infrastructure
markets. The company has annual revenues of more than $700 million with
offices in the United States and Mexico. More information can be found
at www.haskell.com.
About TranSystems
TranSystems' approximately 1,100 professionals in 47 offices throughout
the U.S. provide architecture, engineering and planning; management and
supply chain consulting; real estate consulting; and security to all
sectors of the transportation industry. To access current and historical
information, visit TranSystems' web site at www.transystems.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements in this press release that are not historical facts are "forward-looking
statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements about our beliefs,
plans, goals, expectations and intentions. Forward-looking statements
involve risk and uncertainty, and there can be no assurance that the
results described in such statements will be realized. Such statements
are based on our current expectations and we undertake no obligation to
publicly update or reissue any forward-looking statements. Risk factors
that may cause the actual results to differ are described in this press
release and in various documents we have filed with the U.S. Securities
and Exchange Commission, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for
the year ended December 31, 2008, and our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q.
(c) 2009, The St. Joe Company. "St. Joe," "JOE" and the "Taking Flight"
design are service marks of The St. Joe Company.
St. Joe Company
Media Contact:
Jerry M. Ray, 904-301-4430
jray@joe.com
or
Investor
Contact:
David Childers, 904-301-4302
dchilders@joe.com
Copyright © 2009, Business Wire, Inc., All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2009, NewsBlaze,
Daily News
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