Park Beeler, the co-managing member of developer Jacksonville Riverfront Revitalization, told a City Council and Downtown Investment Authority joint workshop Feb. 23 that his company intends to buy the unfinished Berkman Plaza II within two weeks and start demolition at the end of March.
Those plans are complicated by a city order to demolish the riverfront structure at 500 E. Bay St.
Beeler said at the workshop that city officials informed Jacksonville Riverfront Revitalization it will not cancel a public demolition order issued in October when the structure was condemned by the Municipal Code Compliance Division.
“I must be very honest with you, this is a situation that is of concern to us because it’s a blight on (the) title,” Beeler said.
06:10 PM EST Share The Vestcor Companies Chairman John Rood said the Curry administration plans to implement the panel’s recommendations within two years.
A working group of Downtown CEOs and business leaders formed by Mayor Lenny Curry met Feb. 23 to draft recommendations to the city to improve the urban core.
The group’s lead member, The Vestcor Companies Chairman John Rood, said the panel will meet at least twice more by the end of March to meet Curry’s charge of recommending Downtown improvements that can be funded and implemented in the next two years.
“I care about it because I think if you don’t have an urban core you’re going to lose our young people,” Rood said in an interview after the meeting.
05:20 AM EST Share Contractor Pece of Mind Environmental plans to use a high-reach boom to demolish the unfinished 18-story building from the top down.
The developer that wants to raze the unfinished Berkman Plaza II on the St. Johns Riverfront Downtown says it no longer plans to implode the high-rise.
The city is reviewing an amended permit application filed Jan. 6 to tear down the 18-story building at 500 E. Bay St. using a high-reach excavator.
Developer Jacksonville Riverfront Revitalization LLC hired Orlando-based contractor Pece of Mind Environmental Inc. to complete the demolition.
Documents filed with the city show Pece of Mind plans to use a crane and 135-foot boom to demolish the 279,000-square-foot structure from the top floor down. The company will use a debris curtain to keep material contained at the demolition site.
For decades there have been hopes of developing the stretch of Downtown waterfront from the Berkman Plaza II to Metropolitan Park.
Now, projects from Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan and other developers are in the pipeline, including apartments, a hotel, a naval warship, a new Museum of Science & History and a Four Seasons hotel.
Nearby, the Lot J development is moving forward. Here’s a look at where those projects stand on the brink of 2021.
Berkman Plaza II site
The city has been reviewing a demolition permit application from a local development group for the unfinished riverfront high-rise.
Jacksonville Riverfront Revitalization LLC wants to raze the 18-story condominium shell and start fresh with plans to redevelop the property for mixed-use retail, a 300-unit residential component and public park space.