THURSDAY
September 30, 2021
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Daily Record JACKSONVILLE
TRANSFORMING DOWNTOWN’S
Council OKs $1.41B city budget
NORTH Daily CORE Record JACKSONVILLE
Lawmakers also signed off on a $469 million Capital Improvement Plan.
Daily Record Daily Record JACKSONVILLE
BY MIKE MENDENHALL STAFF WRITER
JACKSONVILLE
Photo by Mike Mendenhall
JWB President Alex Sifakis inside the Florida Baptist Convention building at 218 W. Church St. that is being transformed into apartments, restaurant and retail space. It is one of three JWB projects in the North Core area of Downtown bounded by Beaver, Hogan, Duval and Clay streets.
Developers are pursuing more than $233 million in neighborhood projects with the help of city tax dollars.
BY MIKE MENDENHALL
F
already. The interior of 218 Church Street has been cleared out. A look at the They’re moving.” eight projects in Since 2018, JWB, the North Core, Augustine DevelopPages 6-7 ment Group LLC, developer/investors Jim and Ellen Wiss and a Corner Lot Development Group LLC-ACE JAX LLC partnership have been pursuing projects in what they call the North Core. The four groups have a combined $233.75 million in project investments at some stage of
INSIDE
STAFF WRITER
or several weeks, workers have been gutting and prepping the historic landmark Florida Baptist Convention Building, built in 1924, for new uses. The 218 W. Church St. structure, planned for 24 apartments, restaurant and retail space, is one of eight projects proposed in the neighborhood near City Hall. “We’re cranking on them,” said JWB Real Estate Capital LLC President Alex Sifakis. “If you go by there they look totally different
SEE NORTH CORE, PAGE 4
The Jacksonville City Council voted 17-1 on Sept. 28 to approve Mayor Lenny Curry’s $1.41 billion budget for the 2021-22 fiscal year. The budget includes $507.71 million for the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, 36% of the total and a 3.64% increase from last year. Council also approved $314 million for the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department, $50.37 million for the Public Works Department and $49.51 million for the Parks Recreation & Community Services Department. The Council also voted 17-1 to approve Curry’s $469 million 202122 Capital Improvement Plan. The CIP is $239 million more than the 2021 amount and is bolstered by $141.89 million from the federal American Rescue Plan. The city will use $50 million of the federal funding to remove aging septic tanks and connect neighborhoods to the sewer system. Another $24 million will be used for road resurfacing. There are more than 160 projects in the CIP. They include: ■ $50 million for parks and quality of life investments. ■ $36 million for the Jacksonville Jaguars’ $120 million cityowned football performance center adjacent to TIAA Bank Field. ■ $21.49 million to renovate and build fire stations. The budget millage rate is unchanged from last year, but property owners may pay more because of rising property values. The budget takes effect Oct. 1. MMENDENHALL@ JAXDAILYRECORD.COM @MIMENDENHALL (904) 356-2466
THE BASCH REPORT
Maple Street a bright spot for Cracker Barrel sales Plus: Blockchain firm files for IPO. PAGE 7 VOLUME 108, NO. 223 • TWO SECTIONS