TUESDAY March 24, 2020
BEAT
jaxdailyrecord.com • 35 cents
the virus
support your lo
LV1 88 34
cal er
g ou Br
ht
businesses!
to
yo u
by Dai ly
Record a
d& cor nd Re
r se Ob
v
Daily Record JACKSONVILLE
CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC: YOUR INSIGHT
Community First OK’d to renovate in LaVilla
‘I am Daily not stopping myRecord business’ JACKSONVILLE
Credit union plans $1.76 million project for expanded headquarters.
Daily Record Daily Record JACKSONVILLE
FROM STAFF
JACKSONVILLE
Photo by Renee Parenteau
Zelda Greenberg is co-founder of Legacy Realty Group North Florida Inc. “When things are slow, that’s the time to step up your game,” she said.
Realtor Zelda Greenberg is working at home and staying in touch via social media and virtual meetings. BY SCOTT SAILER STAFF WRITER
Zelda Greenberg, a past president of the Jacksonville Women’s Network and Women Business Owners of North Florida, knows the value of networking. The coronavirus forced her to change how she does it. Greenberg, a Realtor and co-founder of Legacy Realty Group North Florida Inc., said she is “not getting a lot of phone calls right now, but I am staying in touch” through social media, virtual
meetings and posting positive news, like her closings, “to show I am still in business.” “I am not stopping my business because of the virus,” she said. “It too shall pass.” Until it does, she’s working from home and not attending closings. Group events are canceled and she’s not out knocking on doors or holding open houses. Greenberg also is adjusting her advice because of the uncertainty. She said she told a client who wanted to list his home to wait and see what happens with the housing market. She advised another client who wanted to buy a home in the $800,000 range to wait and see if prices drop. She doesn’t forecast another Great Recession
KEEPING CLOSE – FROM A DISTANCE Since March 13, city event venues, stores, restaurants, malls, entertainment centers, churches and businesses shut down and laid off workers or sent them home to telecommute to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The Daily Record will report how local small business owners are dealing with the imposed social isolation.
Community First Credit Union of Florida is proceeding with its headquarters expansion in LaVilla. The city issued a permit March 20 for Auld & White Constructors LLC to renovate the building at 701 W. Adams St. at a cost of almost $1.76 million. Chief Operating Officer Sam Inman confirmed the headquarters annex renovation and extension are on track. Jacksonville-based Community First said in November the West Adams Street building is slated for a major interior and exterior renovation to house the expanded headquarters’ administrative and operations offices. TTV Architects is the architect. Community First said it is Downtown’s longest continuously operating financial institution and has been headquartered there since 1935. It announced Nov. 21 that it bought what was then called the Diamond-S building to expand its headquarters. Community First paid $4.6 million for the two-story, 32,300-square-foot building and parking lot on 1.7 acres at Adams and Jefferson streets. The permit said the renovations apply to a 28,867-square-foot enclosed area. Community First has been headquartered at 637 N. Lee St. in LaVilla since 2002. Property records show the three-story building is 55,054 square feet. The credit union said that in 2002, it converted its Main Street Branch to a banking services branch and moved its headquar-
SEE GREENBERG, PAGE 2
SEE LAVILLA, PAGE 2
Ashley Street Container Lofts win foundation permit The city issued the foundation permit March 18 for the Ashley Street Container Lofts in the Cathedral District Downtown. JWB Real Estate Capital, through Hoose A LLC, bought the property to develop an 18-unit apartment complex made of shipping containers. ShayCore Enterprises Inc. is the contractor for the $25,000 foundation project at 412 E. Ashley St. Fisher Koppenhafer Architecture Interior Design is the architect. JWB Capital proposes to retrofit the shipping containers into 320-square-foot apartments among three stories. Rent would be $550 a month.
VOLUME 107, NO. 90 • ONE SECTION