Uptown Station celebrates expansion

FORT WALTON BEACH, FL — Dozens of business leaders and elected officials gathered Tuesday to watch the grand opening of the latest expansion at Uptown Station.

Uptown Station owner Jay Odom said the new 80,000-square-foot JG Plaza building already is about 52 percent occupied and that talks are ongoing to lease the remaining space.

“Just in the last 45 days we have seen a tremendous amount of interest in leasing office space,” Odom said.

Okaloosa County Tax Collector Chris Hughes and Property Appraiser Pete Smith moved their offices to the new building Monday.

Two national businesses that have decided to come to Fort Walton Beach have checked out office space at JG Plaza, and Odom said Uptown Station was on both of their short lists of places to lease. He anticipated the companies will decide where to move in the near future because they plan to open offices in the spring.

The new building was built to green standards to be energy efficient. There is florescent lighting, hypoallergenic foam insulation and air purifiers designed to kill mold, germs and bugs. Offices were designed with automated lighting that shuts off after a room has been empty for a minute.

Odom said plans for Uptown Station’s expansion started about four years ago. They initially included a larger building that featured the existing office and retail space along with a residential component. The residences eventually were dropped from the plan.

Construction on the JG Plaza building, named after Odom’s father, started in August 2008. In addition to the tax collector and property appraiser offices, it will include Frankie’s A Salon in the retail section and Bsecure Technologies in the office area.

The new retail section of Uptown Station just north of the JG Plaza is expected to be ready for new stores Dec. 1.