TUESDAY September 3, 2019
Public legal notices begin on page 3
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Daily Record JACKSONVILLE
REDEVELOPMENT
Pension bill linked to JEA sale could be deferred
Daily Record
Council member wants grocery, boutique hotel at Town & Country
JACKSONVILLE
Daily Record Daily Record JACKSONVILLE
Finance Committee Chair Aaron Bowman said he will wait to see Council Auditor’s report before deciding. BY MIKE MENDENHALL
STAFF WRITER
JACKSONVILLE
Photo by Monty Zickuhr
The Town & Country Shopping Center sits on 18.25 acres at 903 University Blvd. On Aug. 15, the property was sold for $5.8 million to 903 University Blvd LLC, a subsidiary of JWB Real Estate Companies LLC.
The District 1 council member says she’s also been approached by a developer for adjacent Bethelite property. BY MIKE MENDENHALL STAFF WRITER
District 1 City Council member Joyce Morgan says she will meet with Jacksonville developer JWB Real Estate Companies LLC early this month to discuss plans for the Town & Country Shopping Center in Arlington. During a town hall meeting Aug. 26 at Fort Caroline Presbyterian Church, Morgan also told constituents she has been approached by a developer interested in purchasing the Bethelite property at 5865 Arlington Expressway, the former Thunderbird Motor Hotel and Thunderbird Dinner Theatre. After the meeting, the second-term Democrat said she wants the proposed
Town & Country mixed-use redevelopment to include a boutique hotel and small grocery store, although Morgan said she has no knowledge about the Morgan developer’s proposed uses for the site. Town & Country Shopping Center Inc. President Leonard Setzer sold the property Aug. 15 for $5.8 million to 903 University Blvd LLC — a JWB subsidiary. The company is led by Alex Sifakis, who focuses on urban redevelopment and infill housing. His development group is working on the Ashley Street Container Project — 18 studio units made of shipping containers at 412 E. Ashley St. in Downtown’s Cathedral District. Town & Country was developed in 1953 and expanded to about 200,000 square feet of space on 18.24 acres at 903 University Blvd. Morgan sees the property’s parking lot,
which is about a third of the parcel, as an inefficient use of space. “It does not function at this point,” Morgan said. Regarding Bethelite’s potential buyer, Morgan wouldn’t go into detail. She called the interest a “positive step.” “If what he wants to do there happens, you all will absolutely love it,” Morgan told the 50 people in the church sanctuary. The 18.7-acre Bethelite property was developed in 1964. After its time as the Thunderbird and a Ramada Inn Conference Center, the 11-building, 277-room motel and conference center deteriorated. It’s been sold several times over the years including to Bethelite Inc., affiliated with Bethel Baptist Institutional Church. The property has been unoccupied for more than a decade. Aventura-based 770 Inn and Suites LLC acquired the property in June 2017 for $3 million and has been determining its use. MMENDENHALL@JAXDAILYRECORD.COM (904) 356-2466
City Council Finance Committee Chair Aaron Bowman says he will wait to examine findings from the Council Auditor before deciding whether to defer a bill increasing pension protections for JEA employees. The pension plan adjustment is one of several minimum requirements JEA senior staff set for prospective buyers as the public utility explores a sale or privatization. Ordinance 2019-566 amends the city’s general employee pension plan spe- Bowman cific to JEA employee retirement benefits, aiming to provide some guarantees if voters approve a sale. Council President Scott Wilson suggested during the Council agenda meeting last week that a deferral might be necessary pending an analysis from the Council Auditor on the plan’s ability to cover JEA’s future unfunded liability. “If our auditors aren’t ready to give us a position, I’m not ready to move that bill. But I’m encouraged we may not be in that position,” Bowman said Thursday. Wilson’s biggest concern is how JEA officials will calculate the pension’s future solvency. If SEE JEA, PAGE 2
Mayo Clinic adding parking garage More parking is coming to Mayo Clinic. The city issued a permit for Batson-Cook Co. to build a 1,000-space, five-level parking garage at the 4500 San Pablo Road S. campus. The job cost is $34 million and will include retail space. Mayo Clinic announced in September 2018 the garage will be built next to the Cannaday Building and be completed in 2020. The structure comprises 30,670 square feet of enclosed space for the retail and related uses and 388,547 square feet of unenclosed space for parking.
VOLUME 106, NO. 203 • ONE SECTION