Salsbury’s Dodge buys site farther down Airline for future expansion

The owners of Salsbury’s Dodge have acquired a 12.2-acre parcel on Airline Highway south of Interstate 12, where they plan to eventually relocate from their current location at 9950 Airline Highway, just north of Old Hammond Highway. The move could still be a couple of years away, however, says Salsbury’s general manager Frank Lopinto. “It’s a real estate investment for the dealership, and at some point we will expand down there,” says Lopinto. “But at this point I can’t tell you if it’s two years away or five years.” The new location, which Salsbury’s acquired for $3.5 million from the Broussard-Capozzoli family, is about 50% bigger than Salsbury’s current 8-acre site. Perhaps more significantly, it’s located along the growing south Airline Highway corridor, which is the home to several major car dealerships. “Airline from I-12 to Hwy. 42 is what Florida Boulevard between downtown and Cortana Mall used to be,” says Mark Hebert of Kurz and Hebert Commercial Real Estate, who represented Salsbury’s Dodge. “Now the center of commerce in the automobile world is Airline south of I-12.” The new Salsbury site is located directly across from the Paretti Jaguar Land Rover dealership. It does not yet have a municipal address, though Hebert says it will be in the 14000s. —Stephanie Riegel