Downtown Jacksonville

[vicupstate]

JEA property back on the market

Utility seeking bids for Southbank land

By RYAN GEDDES

The Times-Union

One of downtown Jacksonville's largest chunks of developable riverfront land is heading to market again, after deals between JEA and two prominent developers fell through last year.

But this time, it's all about the money.

The property is JEA's former Southside Generating Station, a 25-acre parcel of Southbank land the utility now calls JEA Park, which once housed a power plant. JEA spent $24 million to decommission it in 2001, and the now-vacant land served as the site of the temporary NFL Experience during Super Bowl XXXIX.

In 2003, JEA asked real estate developers to pitch in-depth plans for the site, and only two responded: The St. Joe Co. and The Haskell Co., both based in Jacksonville. The companies unveiled elaborate plans for the property, offering JEA anywhere from $6 million to $40 million in a year-long process of bidding, counter-bidding and last-minute changes.

In the end, Haskell faded away from the deal and St. Joe withdrew its proposal after both companies failed to come to financial terms with JEA and its board.

Last February, JEA commissioned two independent appraisals of the land that showed it was worth between about $27 million and $29 million.

JEA is gearing up to market the site again, but this time the utility is not interested in seeing detailed feasibility studies or debating the merits of competing architectural plans.

"We're not in the development business, that's for sure. I think the citizens and the city are best served by letting the professional regulators handle that," said J.D. Collins, vice-chairman and incoming chairman of the JEA board. "Our goal is to get the most out of it for our ratepayers, and the sale of that [land] is revenue to JEA."

According to JEA spokesman Ron Whittington, JEA plans to send out a new request for bids on the property late next week, with a three-week window for responses.

"It basically says, 'Give us your best offer,'" Whittington said.

Collins said there is no set bottom line for the property, but that JEA would like to see offers at least approach the range of the appraisals.

"The actual price of the property is going to be what the market will bear," Collins said.

ryan.geddesjacksonville.com, (904) 359-4689

[Urban_Legend]

Finally ... the Twisted Martini

by Carrie Resch

Staff Writer

After many delays and three months of hurried construction, the newest attraction at the Landing, Twisted Martini, finally opens this week with a VIP party tonight and the public opening Thursday.

[wolfdawg54]

Great article and when it opens hopefully it will help to bring more nightlife to downtown, especially the Landing. By the way, how did Tony Sleiman do over the Super Bowl. I couldn't even get in the Landing and I am hoping that some of the money that he earned from temporary tenants will help him reach his goal of an improved Landing.

[bobliocatt]

Consultant gives city options for courthouse

By MARY KELLI PALKA

The Times-Union

In a repeat of a process from 1999, Jacksonville's city and judicial officials on Wednesday met to set the stage for what a new Duval County courthouse project would look like.

Dan Wiley, a courthouse planning consultant hired by the city, talked to an advisory group appointed by Mayor John Peyton about the steps he's taking to determine what the community needs in a new judicial facility.

It was the first gathering of the advisory group, made up of courthouse users, city staff, a City Council member and two local lawyers.

The group's goal is to review future options for a new courthouse and advise Peyton on those options.

The steps the group is taking are similar to what city staff and users took six years ago when Wiley, who's worked on courthouse projects nationwide, assembled a report specifying the space needs in a new courthouse. In 2000, Duval County voters approved a half-cent sales tax to pay for a $190 million courthouse as part of the Better Jacksonville Plan. The costs continued to grow over time up until the fall, when Peyton pulled the plug after cost estimates reached about $300 million.

Wiley said he's been working the past couple months compiling updated population projections through 2025 to see how much space will be needed. He's also been meeting with judges and other users to make sure their needs are met.

The old design was intended to take care of judicial needs through 2020, but Wiley said projected population and caseload are already higher than were originally anticipated for 2020, which could require more space than had been planned for in 1999.

Wiley briefly presented to the group a variety of options under consideration. They included everything from a large courthouse similar to the one previously designed to having branch offices throughout the county. Variations on the options include use of the old federal courthouse or current courthouse and phasing in portions of a complex over time.

In a presentation Wiley gave to a special council committee prior to the meeting of the mayor's group, several council members emphasized that the project can't overstep the $232 million budget that the council had approved.

Wiley said that at this stage of the process his main goal is developing judicial options that work. From there, costs would be added into the consideration.

Dan Kleman, Peyton's chief administrative officer, said the city has been calculating how much is available for a new design and construction of a new building. Officials deducted how much money has been spent to date, 15 percent contingency and future obligations such as furniture and move-in costs. The city would have $140 million remaining to spend if the budget remains at $232 million, according to a city document provided to the advisory group.

If the council ultimately approves the use of some or all of a new fee placed on traffic offenses, the available amount could reach as high as $170 million, according to the document. That would bring the total budget to about $268 million.

The council's special courthouse committee next meets on Monday, Feb. 28. The mayor's group will next meet on Thursday, March 17. Both meetings are open to the public.

Times-Union writer Gregory Richards contributed to this report.

mary.palkajacksonville.com, (904) 359-4104

This story can be found on Jacksonville.com at http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stor..._17992848.shtml.

[Urban_Legend]

[Fruit Cove]

is there a restaurant in the top of the southtrust building? when i was downtown it looked like there could be one, as far as the lighting goes, it would be the top two floors or it could just be one with a high ceiling, where the pattern of the facade breaks. it could be a penthouse?

[Urban_Legend]

^It's the University Club, if I'm not mistaken. It does have a restaurant, but I don't know what else is up there.

[bobliocatt]

City Notes from the Jax Daily Record

[Urban_Legend]

An excerpt from the Daily Record's interview with the new library director:

The new Main library?

[wolfdawg54]

Hmm. I don't really know if I would go hang out at the library on the weekends... or even on the weekdays. It sounds neat though that they are trying to draw in more people to visit by attracting all ages. I guess that if I had to get a book there, it might be a nice place to relax for a little bit.

[JaxNole]

It's amazing how a library can be a cohesive unit of a community. The Boston Central Library in Copley Square is massive and it drew many types of people, including scores of children. Reading and a passion for learning are prevalent in that area and witnessing it as a transplant from Florida made me wish it occurred here. I'm hoping ours will have a similar effect.

[RiversideGator]

A new large central library is a necessity. It will be a draw for suburbanites and maybe even tourists. I have visited libraries in Boston, NY and other cities when on vacation. I supported the design choice originally, but it does seem very brown and plain at least on the Monroe, Duval and Main Street sides. However, it is still a vast improvement over the exising library.

[Urban_Legend]

I plan on spending hours and hours in the new library! Reading, Internet, Cafe/Bookstore, and just admiring the architecture/exploring.... This will be great for Hemming Plaza.

[bobliocatt]

I wonder does any of the options on the table, include building vertical instead of horizontal?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CITY NOTES: There's no place like dome

By GREGORY RICHARDS

The Times-Union

Midway through a presentation to a council committee Wednesday on plans for a new downtown courthouse -- take two -- Councilwoman Glorious Johnson interrupted consultant Dan Wiley with a question.

"Does that include the dome?" she asked.

"I understand that option is off the table," Wiley replied.

"No, I want the dome," she insisted.

The large dome that was to top the new downtown courthouse was scrapped last year in an attempt to rein in the project's ballooning budget. Eventually, when the cost reached nearly $300 million, Mayor John Peyton scuttled the entire plan and said the project would start over from scratch.

gregory.richardsjacksonville.com, (904) 359-4649

[vicupstate]

Robert Pavelka stands on the fourth floor of the J. H. Churchwell building at 301 E. Bay St., where his grandfather started a wholesale dry-goods business in the 1920's. He has plans to turn the building into 21 loft condominiums, with the bottom floor possibly becoming a commercial restaurant or pub.

Warehouse slated to become Churchwell Lofts

By RYAN GEDDES

The Times-Union

Super Bowl XXXIX revelers knew the building at the northeast corner of Bay and Market streets downtown as the site of just another impromptu nightclub.

But to Robert Pavelka, the 100-year old warehouse is a solid piece of the past and an investment in the future.

Pavelka is the grandson of J.H. Churchwell, who founded the eponymous dry-goods company in Jacksonville near the turn of the last century. The company is still around, but its original post-and-beam warehouse, built in 1905, sits empty on Bay Street, waiting for a revival.

The family still owns the four-story structure, located in the heart of the Bay Street Town Center. Its two-foot-thick walls once stored trade goods, but the Pavelka family plans to turn the building into a commodity of its own -- luxury condominiums.

"I want to see the Churchwell name carried on, and I want to see it become sort of an heirloom for the City of Jacksonville," said Pavelka, who keeps a small office on the building's top floor.

Once the dusty old warehouse becomes Churchwell Lofts at East Bay, the public will be able to enjoy the historic restoration Pavelka plans to apply to its facade, but not just anyone will be able to live there.

The 21 units planned for the building would become some of the most expensive residences, per square foot, in downtown Jacksonville. Pavelka said the lofts would sell from the $300's to the $400's per square foot, with the five penthouses possibly fetching even more.

According to a report prepared this month for the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission by the Real Estate Strategy Center of North Florida, luxury downtown housing is classified as property selling in the range of $274 per square foot to $344 per square foot. The report makes special mention of lofts, which are often smaller than other condominium types but can fetch higher prices.

"When you only have 21 units, they have to be as nice as you can possibly make them," said Pavelka. "You want people to truly be able to appreciate something no one else will have."

The 21 residences, with exposed beams, 12-foot ceilings and original-glass windows, would occupy the top three floors of the building, reserving the ground level for a restaurant.

"I'd like to see a nice cafe with tables and chairs on the street, under the awning," said Pavelka.

A historic awning is one of many touches Pavelka wants to include in the renovated building's design. Real gas lamps, a rooftop terrace, clawfoot bathtubs and ventless fireplaces are all being considered for the property.

According to Pavelka, the concept is working. Twelve of the 21 units have already been reserved, and construction could begin as early as May, barring any surprises.

"We truly have a love of the building, although at some points we thought we might be the only ones," said Pavelka. "The whole point of all of this is to build value."

ryan.geddesjacksonville.com, (904) 359-4689

[FLORIDA SKYRISE ORDER]

Well, it is 36 storys and that just 1 shy of the Modis tower and a few short of Bank of America, granted they are commercial.  It may not surpass them but it will come pretty close.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

YEAH, CORRECT ME IF I AM WRONG BUT RESIDENTIAL TOWER 36 STORIES IS NOT THE SAME AS OFFICE TOWER 36 STORIES; RESIDENTIAL 36 STORIES IS A LITTLE SHORTER AS THE SPACE BETWEEN FLOORS IN RESIDENTIALS IS SHORTER THAN IN OFFICE TOWERS.

FLORIDA SKYRISE

[bobliocatt]

^You're correct, residential floors normally have a lower floor-to-ceiling height, than office floors. However, the Peninsular will have, at least, 10ft clear heights on all of its residential floors. Once you add space for the HVAC system, it could very well be 12 ft of space, between each floor. The penthouse and retail levels also, will have higher floor heights. All in all, I'm estimating the Peninsula to be at least 430 ft tall.

[vicupstate]

^You're correct, residential floors normally have a lower floor-to-ceiling height, than office floors.  However, the Peninsular will have, at least, 10ft clear heights on all of its residential floors.  Once you add space for the HVAC system, it could very well be 12 ft of space, between each floor.  The penthouse and retail levels also, will have higher floor heights.  All in all, I'm estimating the Peninsula to be at least 430 ft tall.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I believe someone at the Peninsula told me the building was "about 400' ".

[Viper]

YEAH, CORRECT ME IF I AM WRONG BUT RESIDENTIAL TOWER 36 STORIES IS NOT THE SAME AS OFFICE TOWER 36 STORIES; RESIDENTIAL 36 STORIES IS A LITTLE SHORTER AS THE SPACE BETWEEN FLOORS IN RESIDENTIALS IS SHORTER THAN IN OFFICE TOWERS.

FLORIDA SKYRISE

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That is why I said, "Granted they are commercial."

However, as was pointed out, the Peninsula will have higher than normal ceilings from residential dwellings.

Bank of America Tower - 617 ft - 43 floors

Modis Tower - 535 ft - 37 floors

BellSouth Tower - 447 ft - 32 floors

Riverplace Tower - 432 ft - 28 floors

Peninsula - 400+ ft? - 36 floors

Seems reasonable to me.

[bobliocatt]

I believe someone at the Peninsula told me the building was "about 400' ".

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It could very well be. The figure off the top of my head was for a 38 story building, including 10 for parking. At this point, I have no idea of the building's actually number of stories. It started off at 36, but lately most of the reports, as well as the developer, at the Southbank workshop, have stated 38.

[Viper]

38? Interesting.

Think we can expect a similar change in the design of the Strand?

[wolfdawg54]

I don't know. The Strand is already underway while the Peninsula is still in the "pre-construction" stage.

[vicupstate]

According to one of the HOA Board members at The Parks at the Cathedral, the second phase is dead. The land is going to be returned to St. John's Cathedral, which they will probably use for parking.

[RiversideGator]

12 feet per floor times 38 floors equals 456 feet tall. I hope that is accurate. It would be great if the rendering on the web page is correct and it is taller than the SouthTrust Bldg.

As for the Parks at the Cathedral, I was disappointed by the design. It is pretty shabby, in my opinion.

[bobliocatt]

Ten of the Peninsula's floors make up a built in parking garage. Most parking garages have a height of around 8ft, thus making the building's overall height much lower.