WEDNESDAY November 6, 2019
Public legal notices begin on page 3
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Daily Record JACKSONVILLE
City issues demolition JACKSONVILLE permit for The Jacksonville Landing
THE MATHIS REPORT
Daily Record
Daily Record Daily Record JACKSONVILLE
JACKSONVILLE
KAREN BRUNE MATHIS EDITOR
Town Center RH could offer rooftop restaurant Civil plans filed with city show development of the furniture store near Tesla and Apple.
Photo by Monty Zickuhr
Workers tear down the awning near the closed Chicago Pizza at The Jacksonville Landing on Tuesday. D.H. Griffin is razing the two-story, 178,838-square-foot structure. For more photos, see this story at JaxDailyRecord.com
D.H. Griffin Wrecking Co. now can tear down the 32-year-old riverfront shopping center. BY KAREN BRUNE MATHIS EDITOR
The Jacksonville Landing is cleared for demolition. The city Building Inspection Division issued a permit Monday for D.H. Griffin Wrecking Co. to take down the closed Downtown retail marketplace at a cost of $1,074,002. D.H. Griffin will raze the two-story, 178,838-square-foot structure built 32 years ago at 2 Independent Drive W. on the Northbank of the St. Johns River. Demolition includes 34,107 square feet of exterior space. James Croft, city assistant director of public affairs, said in an email Tuesday that interior demolition has been underway for more than a month and that exte-
rior demolition is planned to start by mid-November. He said the first structure to come down will be Building B, which housed the Chicago Pizza and Hooters restaurants. Croft said the demolition is scheduled to be completed by June. The Landing was built as a signature structure to help revitalize Downtown Jacksonville. Efforts were unsustainable, especially as population and retail centers spread into the suburbs and neighboring counties. Demolition has been expected for months, although supporters of the structure urged the city to pursue re-use rather than removal. The city took control of the Landing in February after a $15 million settle-
ment with Sleiman Enterprises Inc. The city owned the property while Sleiman owned the building. City Council approved the agreement. Legislation included $1.5 million for tenant lease terminations and other expenses. The $1.074 million cost to demolish the Landing is consistent with the bid awarded by the city June 20. D.H. Griffin has until May 28 to demolish the two-story, 56-foot-tall structure, according to the deadline set by the city. Site work began Aug. 8, when D.H. Griffin installed fencing around the job site. KMATHIS@JAXDAILYRECORD.COM @MATHISKB (904) 356-2466
RH appears closer to nailing down a location at St. Johns Town Center. If it’s anything like RH’s other Florida stores or its newest location in Minneapolis, it will offer a rooftop park that could include a restaurant and wine bar. Engineering firm EnglandThims & Miller Inc. filed civil plans with the city Friday for development of a store for the California-based retailer. The company, which changed its name from Restoration Hardware in 2017, describes itself as a curator of design, taste and style in the luxury lifestyle market. It sells furniture, lighting, textiles, rugs, bath ware, décor and outdoor items, as well as baby, child and teen products. The Jacksonville plans show RH proposes to occupy a 42,759-square-foot building on 3.77 acres at St. Johns Town Center east of the shops that include Tesla, Apple and Urban Outfitters. A JEA service availability letSEE MATHIS, PAGE 2
St. Augustine Fish Camp planned Southern Table Hospitality, owners of North Beach, Palm Valley and Julington Creek Fish Camps, will add a fourth location in downtown St. Augustine by mid-January. The restaurant is planned along the San Sebastian River, down the street from the St. Augustine Distillery and Ice Plant Bar. “When you’re sitting outside, having dinner, having drinks, you’re going to see the shrimp boats coming in and out,” said Eric Williams, director of operations for Southern Table Hospitality. The 189-seat restaurant will serve similar dishes to those at the other fish camp locations, Williams said.
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