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Company News
MDI to Anchor Office Park Development May 23, 2007 (JACKSONVILLE, FL) - The PARC Group, developer for the master-planned Town of Nocatee, announced its first sale of commercial property to Richard Willich, Chairman of Ponte Vedra-based Medical Development International (MDI). MDI is a leading business providing medical services innovations in health care and management technology to medical providers nationwide. The $50 million project will be home to three buildings, housing more than 175,000 square feet of office space on a 20-acre parcel of land. "The sale of our first office parcel is one more step toward establishing the vibrant community of Nocatee where residents will live, work, shop, attend school and play, all within the same community," said Richard T. Ray, a partner with The PARC Group. Since the office buildings will be a part of Nocatee's landscape for generations to come, The PARC Group is committed to adopting a style for the buildings that will create a cohesive architectural theme and a uniform look for future businesses. "The PARC Group and I agreed it was important for these first buildings to set a unique architectural tone. These buildings achieve a distinctive design that will create a unique setting for the first development in Nocatee's Town Center," said Willich. After researching several architectural firms, Willich chose Wakefield, Beasley and Associates to design the buildings in Nocatee. Willich asked his architects to review the style of Carrère and Hastings, designers of St. Augustine's Ponce de León Hotel, the centerpiece of Flagler College. The new office space will be one of the few buildings outside St. Augustine sharing architectural elements of this National Historic Landmark. Willich also asked that his architectural renderings draw from the style of the Lightner Museum in St. Augustine, also designed by Carrère and Hastings. Both buildings are notable for being among the earliest examples of poured concrete buildings in the world. The end result of this historical research is that three office buildings will be built on the Nocatee parcel and will share the Spanish Renaissance style as an architectural theme. The main building will be three stories, with approximately 75,000 square feet of space. The most stunning feature of this main building will be an open courtyard entrance featuring towering Washington Palms and fountains. The second and third floors of this building will house MDI. The other two buildings will be two stories and will house 50,000 square feet each. All of the buildings will incorporate Spanish Renaissance architecture with cutting-edge technology to include fiber-optic loops throughout the park, satellite communications and natural gas generators. With offices in Los Angeles, Dallas, Virginia and Orlando, Willich opened his office in Ponte Vedra several years ago as a move of choice, not necessity. As his business continues to grow to more than 100 employees, he is confident Nocatee is the best choice for the future. "Aside from being a wise business decision, I chose Nocatee with my employees' best interests in mind. Nocatee offers them a wide range of home choices, shopping and lifestyle unmatched by any other community in the area," said Willich. In fact, three of his employees have already purchased homes in Nocatee. Nocatee is a master-planned "new town" that spans the northeast portion of St. Johns County and the southeastern corner of Duval County. The Nocatee plan is a balanced approach to development that will provide a wide variety of residential lifestyles, employment opportunities, shopping, schools, civic uses, and recreation. For more information, visit www.Nocatee.com |
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