Area Development
Dollar Tree reportedly will build a 1.7-million-square-foot distribution center on 198 acres at the new Florida Crossroads Commerce Park in Ocala, Florida.

Kevin T. Sheilley, President and CEO of the Ocala-Marion County Chamber and Economic Partnership tweeted, “The Florida Crossroads Commerce Park has its first tenant and it is a great one. Dollar Tree will construct a 1.7 million sq. ft. distribution center creating 700 new jobs. This park has another 800 acres of industrial and 300 acres of commercial, so now is the right time to join us in the Ocala Metro.

According to Ocala News.com, Sheilley said “the local area had at one point fallen out of the running for the distribution center. But the powers-that-be at Dollar Tree were swayed to reconsider through workforce programs and cooperation between Marion County Public Schools, Marion Technical College, and the College of Central Florida.”

The project, located off County Road 484 near Interstate 75, is estimated to generate up to $20 million in tax revenue over 20 years. Ocala News reported the center will be the largest distribution facility in the county and one of the largest in the Sunshine State since the then-K-Mart center was built in 1990.

Marion County commissioners offered Dollar Tree a $9.9-million incentive package. The company will receive $3 million in the first phase of the project, which requires construction of a facility of at least 500,000 square feet. Up to $6 million will follow in the second phase, when the company adds a facility encompassing up to 1 million square feet. The remaining $900,000 in incentives is coming through credit for transportation impact fees and permit fees related to the project. The company must create at least 255 jobs with an average salary of $42,250, though reportedly seeks to create 695 jobs over the next 36 months.