WEDNESDAY February 19, 2020
Public legal notices begin on page 3
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Daily Record JACKSONVILLE
REDEVELOPMENT
THE MATHIS REPORT
Daily Record
Investors buy First Baptist property, plan $25M project
JACKSONVILLE
Daily Record Daily Record JACKSONVILLE
JACKSONVILLE
KAREN BRUNE MATHIS EDITOR
Wayfair pushes back opening in Jacksonville
Online furniture retailer terminates the jobs of 42 employees.
Photo by Monty Zickuhr
EJPC LLC paid $1.13 million Feb. 15 to buy a portion of First Baptist Church’s property bounded by Beaver, Julia, Ashley and Hogan streets.
Jim and Ellen Wiss plan to build 200 apartments on the site. BY MIKE MENDENHALL STAFF WRITER
Buyers of a nearly full city block of the First Baptist Church’s Downtown campus could invest $25 million for a mixed-use development at the site. Jim and Ellen Wiss see Downtown Jacksonville “at the edge of a resurgence” and they’re not done acquiring property in the urban core. EJPC LLC paid $1.13 million Feb. 15 to buy a portion of the church’s land bounded by Beaver, Julia, Ashley and Hogan streets. They bought two buildings — a four-story, about 20,000-square
structure built in 1954 and a twostory, 10,000-square-foot building built in 1947. EJPC is looking at adaptive reuse for the two-story building but has no plans yet for the fourstory structure. The purchase is a result of First Baptist’s decision in September to downsize its 13.7-acre Downtown campus in response to declining church attendance and a growing multimillion-dollar maintenance bill on its aging 1.5 millionsquare-foot property. Jim and Ellen Wiss are comanagers of EJPC. They said Feb. 18 they are working with church leadership to close on the remain-
ing property within 60 days. That will total 1.38 acres to complete the purchase of the block. Jim Wiss said they plan to move quickly to plan and build 200 apartments on the site “with the full amenity package” and retail space. “We’re hiring architects as we speak. We’re moving right away with planning and working through the various city issues,” he said. It’s not their first Downtown investment. They bought the historic Federal Reserve Bank Building at 424 N. SEE INVESTORS, PAGE 2
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Investors Ellen and Jim Wiss bought First Baptist Church property in the block bounded by Ashley, Hogan, West Beaver and North Julia streets.
Online furniture retailer Wayfair Inc. pushed back the opening of its Jacksonville fulfillment center and terminated the jobs of 42 employees, a spokeswoman said. Corporate Communications Associate Director Susan Frechette said by email Feb. 14 that 47 employees were sent to other Wayfair facilities. “We were unable to move forward with employment for 42,” she said. Wayfair is paying employees for the past 3½ weeks when they were unable to work because of the unexpected delay and paying for an additional week, she said. “We recognize this is difficult news for our employees and are working to assist in the transition as much as possible,” she said. She said Wayfair is assisting with career placement support. Frechette said the situation is not related to the Boston-based company’s decision last week to lay off 550 people globally. Frechette said Wayfair expects to occupy the center in AllianceSEE MATHIS, PAGE 2
Pilot program for Downtown e-scooters, e-bikes City Council approved 18-0 a one-year pilot program Feb. 11 that could bring e-scooters and e-bicycles Downtown. District 5 Council member LeAnna Cumber introduced Ordinance 2020-26 on Jan. 14 to establish a permitting process and regulatory framework for dockless mobility devices. Companies like Uber JUMP Scooter, Lime, Bolt and Bird Rides Inc., which are operating throughout the state, will be able to apply for permits to operate on the Northbank. The bill allows Council to make the program permanent if it is successful.
VOLUME 107, NO. 66 • ONE SECTION