School Board easment might kill JEA site deal.

[Captain Obvious]

Developer may pull out of JEA deal

"Developers say that their only option to provide access to the site is to extend Prudential Drive through a parking lot owned by the school board. School board officials, who intend to sell their property in two to three years, say that they don't want to allow the easement, which would split their property."

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The city council needs to put its foot down and tell the school board how it's going to be. This is not acceptable.

While I am optimistic that sanity will prevail, and somebody will overrule this school baord bureaucrat ... this is definitely something I stll plan to contact city officials about.

That Southbank design charette might prove useful after all. The school board never complained when the final "masterplan" showed an extended Prudential drive. I think this is just some foolish pencil pusher overstepping common sense, and her bounds ...

http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stor...5/bus_jea.shtml

[vicupstate]

Ideally, the developer's would buy the school board property, let the board lease it back for 2-3 years, then incorporate the site into the overall master plan.

[Urban_Legend]

Stupid school board. I've always hated that building.

Maybe after our "tailgate party" at the Hayden Burns library, we can set up lawn chairs in front of the school board and wait for its implosion!

[asonj23]

I'm there!

Ideally, the developer's would buy the school board property, let the board lease it back for 2-3 years, then incorporate the site into the overall master plan.

The problem is that the school board will probably request an insanely large amount to purchase it.

[DavePaulk]

I can see certain advantages to selling the property into two pieces, but I doubt they see things the same way. This is the first real speed bump that the Southbank has hit in its development. It has had some small ones, but this one is up there with the contaminated library and illegal shipyard debockles (sp?).

I'll bring some burgers to the implosion party, but i don't know if the school board is big enough to warrant implosion. Today I really felt like we should organize some protests of sorts, but i don't really know where. I just got a sudden urge to protest something, don't ask.

[Captain Obvious]

hypo #1: Two divided lots seperated by a street. Next door to the East is a 40 acre, Billion+ dollar, mixed-use project under construction.

hypo #2: One undivided lot. Next door to the East is a 40 acre grass field.

Which one of these two scenarios is better for the School Board? Which would get a higher sale price? Seriously. The School Board's actions don't even make sense from a self-interested perspective! It's nonsense. Damn nonsense.

[bobliocatt]

Wow, I was going to type a long response, but it doens't get any more simple than that statement Captain.

[Viper]

Hold up, hold up, hold up. They say it isn't seperated already and that Prudential Dr will need to be extened through their parking lot?

It already is....as a dirt road anyway.

What exactly would the school board gain by not having that tiny section to the East without a paved road through it? Any developer that builds on that site after the school board sells it will extend Prudential Dr through it anyway. This is completely asinine.

Captain, perfectly stated.

[Captain Obvious]

Sadly, if there's no easment, the fact that there's actually a road there might not make any difference. It could still legally just be their parking lot. (For example the "roads" in the St Johns Town Center are still technically just "parking lots" and can be shut down at will).

But yes, back here in the real world, where people use common sense and logic ... the fact that there's already a road there only makes the situation more ludicrous.