WEDNESDAY July 3, 2019
Public legal notices begin on page 3
jaxdailyrecord.com • 35 cents
Daily Record JACKSONVILLE
San Marco church seeking new uses for its property
THE MATHIS REPORT
Daily Record JACKSONVILLE
Daily Record Daily Record JACKSONVILLE
KAREN BRUNE MATHIS EDITOR
Hillwood is still after big prospect
JACKSONVILLE
Photos by Monty Zickuhr
The rear campus of the South Jacksonville Presbyterian Church at Alford Place and Thacker Avenue in San Marco.
As its membership shrinks, South Jacksonville Presbyterian Church wants to retain its sanctuary while offering the rest of its campus for development. BY KAREN BRUNE MATHIS EDITOR
Leaders of South Jacksonville Presbyterian Church are evaluating the highest and best use of the almost full block it owns in the historic San Marco area. “We are taking inquiries about repurposing our facility,” said Jeff King, chair of the trustees of the 106-year-old church. The church campus sits on about 2.4 acres at 2137 Hendricks Ave. The building housing Matthew’s restaurant is separately owned and not involved. King said the campus was built for a membership of 1,500 to 2,000 and the congregation now is less than 250, reflecting a decline in church congregations nationwide. That puts a strain on the revenue stream to continue the
The front of South Jacksonville Presbyterian Church is along Hendricks Avenue across from the entrance to San Marco Square.
upkeep. King said there is no debt on the property. “If you look at churches as a whole, they are closing or repurposing,” he said. “We are not unique.” South Jacksonville Presbyterian would like to retain the sanctuary and continue
to worship there, King said. “We started taking a hard look at what we need. The consensus was we would like to have a presence in San Marco. We would like to have a church there. We are SEE CHURCH, PAGE 2
AllianceFlorida at Cecil Commerce Center master developer Hillwood continues to court a prospect for a 1.5 millionsquare-foot distribution center. The update was disclosed in Dallas-based Hillwood’s required quarterly report to the city. “Hillwood received an update from a prospect who previously inquired about leasing a 1,500,000 square foot distribution center,” Hillwood said in the first-quarter report filed Monday. “As of the end of the reporting period, the prospect was still considering its options and had not yet decided to pursue the facility,” it said. The report covered Jan. 1-March 31. The large prospect has been in play for months. Hillwood filed plans in September seeking civil plan review to clear a site for a 1.5 millionsquare-foot warehouse on Parcels H and I near POW-MIA Memorial Parkway. In the third-quarter activity report, Hillwood said it began the land entitlement process “should a prospect materialize for the parcels.” It told the city it responded to a request for proposal from the prospect.
KMATHIS@JAXDAILYRECORD.COM @MATHISKB (904) 356-2466
HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY The Jacksonville Daily Record will not be published Thursday because of the Independence Day holiday. We will resume publication Friday. VOLUME 106, NO. 161 • ONE SECTION