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November 14-20, 2019
Sailer Report: MasterCraft CEO on growth plans, St. Johns sales tax PAGE 10
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JACKSONVILLE
Record & Observer Fire Station No. 5 building now up for bid
THE STADIUM’S Record & Observer NEXT STEP JACKSONVILLE
City is seeking a buyer to move the vacant structure in Brooklyn.
JACKSONVILLE Jacksonville Jaguars President Mark Lamping says
BY MIKE MENDENHALL
Record & Observer the team is reviewing the future of city-owned TIAA Bank Field as its lease enters its final decade.
JACKSONVILLE
STAFF WRITER
Anyone interested in buying the vacant Fire Station No. 5 building in Brooklyn has 30 days to bid on it. The Downtown Investment Authority approved a notice of disposition Wednesday to sell and relocate the 7,152-squarefoot, 109-year-old structure at 347 Riverside Ave. The move will clear the property for a planned realignment of Forest Street across Riverside Avenue to provide better access to the recently announced $145 million Fidelity National Information Services Inc. headquarters. If a buyer is not found, the city will demolish the structure. The notice allows potential buyers to request city funding to assist with a proposal. They would have to submit a business plan that includes the expected return on investment and projected tax revenue to the city. The proposal must include: n A building purchase price. n A cost estimate for relocation signed by a company or contractor. n Demonstration of financial capacity to relocate the fire station. n Acknowledgment that no development rights are included in the notice. n A $5,000 “good faith” cashier’s check or money order. DIA CEO Lori Boyer said Hygema House Movers & Foundation Repairs estimates it would cost about $500,000 to move the fire station a few blocks. DIA prefers a move within the area. The DIA also approved a 30-day notice Wednesday giving FIS 16,971 square feet of surplus land left from the alignment in exchange for 130 public parking spaces in the company’s future parking garage, as well as 20 feet of urban open space.
Record & Observer Provided by the Jacksonville Jaguars
On the future of TIAA Bank Field, Jacksonville Jaguars President Mark Lamping said: “There are certain fundamental things that are very important to us and they all begin and end with the comfort and the experience of our fans.”
BY MIKE MENDENHALL STAFF WRITER
A
quarter century after taking the field, the Jacksonville Jaguars are pursuing economic goals and facing financial and brickand-mortar hurdles. The NFL franchise was awarded in 1993 and began play in 1995. Jacksonville Jaguars President Mark Lamping discussed those challenges during an interview Monday, including
what improvements are needed at TIAA Bank Field as the team enters the final 10 years of its stadium lease with the city. Lamping said those conversations with city officials have begun, and the Jaguars are conducting an internal review of the stadium’s needs. “We know that one of the most important discussions we’ll have with the city as we prepare to extend that lease is what is the plan for the stadium,” Lamping said. Lamping, 61, has been president of the Jaguars since February 2012. Before
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coming to Jacksonville, he was CEO of New Meadowlands Stadium Co., where he ran MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, home of the New York Jets and New York Giants football teams. Lamping and Jaguars owner Shad Khan’s desire to shield fans from the heat and sun at the stadium is well known. That issue was raised in a January panel discussion hosted by Northbank and Southbank residents group The Downtown Dwellers. SEE LAMPING, PAGE 12
THE MATHIS REPORT
CenterState Bank move leaves a void Downtown Plus: Ally Bank moves; restaurant notes. PAGE 3 VOLUME 2, NO. 24 • ONE SECTION