Daily Record Financial News &
Tuesday, April 26, 2016
Vol. 103, No. 117 • One Section
35¢ www.jaxdailyrecord.com
2 years of talking is long enough Anderson wants action on affordable housing plan
By Max Marbut Staff Writer
INSIDE: Committee delays decision on Hemming funding. Page A-2 hood Blight. The committee explored options for so-called “zombie” property, ownership of which the city assumed due to liens from municipal code compliance fines or unpaid ad valorem taxes. The bill would increase from
$25,000 to $50,000 the value of property the city may donate. It also would allow private entities to develop affordable housing on the properties, increasing housing opportunities and getting the property back on the tax rolls. About 400 such properties have been placed on the Affordable Housing Inventory List. Housing continued on Page A-3
Photos by Wes Lester / The City of Jacksonville
City Council President Greg Anderson wants action and he wants it now. “We’ve been debating this for two years and it’s a two-year program. It’s not going to be perfect. It’s intended to be a trial,” he said, referring to bill 2015-519, which was introduced to council
in July. Anderson wants a vote on the bill at today’s council meeting. He issued the deadline Monday at a special meeting of the Finance and Recreation, Community Development, Public Health and Safety committees. The legislation is the result of discussion and debate that began about two years ago in the Special Ad Hoc Committee on Neighbor-
Marking two decades of improving children’s lives The Jacksonville Children’s Commission celebrated its 21st anniversary in the atrium at City Hall. The event included a performance from students at Long Branch Elementary, above and bottom left. Enjoying the show, below right, are Matt Kane, chair of the commission board; Mayor Lenny Curry; Jon Heymann, executive director of the commission; and former Mayor John Peyton.
OfficeMax closing Southside store in May OfficeMax will close its Southside Boulevard store May 14. A closing sale is in progress at the 8801 Southside Blvd. location in Timberlin Village. The store directs shoppers to its nearest Office Depot locations at 8653 Baymeadows Road and at 10601 San Jose Blvd. Office Depot and OfficeMax merged in November 2013, continuing to operate as Office Depot Inc., based in Boca Raton. OfficeMax remains a brand in its portfolio. Spokeswoman Sarah England said Monday that Office Depot announced in 2014 it planned to close about 400 stores over several years, and the Jacksonville store is one of them. She said Office Depot has closed almost
Public
350 in 2014 and 2015. England said the company will do all it can to help associates who might be affected. Office Depot will provide eligible workers with a severance package and other benefits or identify opportunities in other stores or in other areas of the company. Not counting the Timberlin Village store,
legal notices begin on page
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the company operates nine area stores. Meanwhile, Office Depot Inc. has agreed to merge with Staples Inc., although the Federal Trade Commission has challenged the $6.3 billion acquisition by Staples. Staples operates three stores in Jacksonville and one in Orange Park. Office Depot reported annual sales of $14 billion and Staples reported $9.5 billion for their most recent fiscal years. The two say their merger would save money as they face competition from discount retailers and Amazon.com Inc. OfficeMax occupies 23,500 square feet of space at Timberlin Village, which is managed by The Shopping Center Group. Bed Beth & Beyond, Buy Buy Baby and Mathis continued on Page A-2
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Market is beginning of new life for Eastside Move puts neighborhood on ‘brink of greatness’
By Kevin Hogencamp Contributing Writer In the shadows of the Arlington Expressway overpass and EverBank Field, the A. Philip Randolph Boulevard commercial corridor is largely empty and overlooked. The same goes for the historic Eastside neighborhoods that surround it, except when residents turn their yards and driveways into parking lots for nearby sporting events and concerts. The community that produced Olympic gold medalist and NFL player Bob Hayes, philanthropist and community leader Eartha White, and the boulevard’s civil rights and labor leader namesake is hurting. “Back in the day, this area was thriving. Now, it is mostly forgotten,” said Dana Miller, a barber and community activist. That’s about to change, albeit modestly in the beginning. After unveiling its 10-year strategic plan in February, the nonprofit Groundwork Jacksonville announced Friday the Jacksonville Public Market will open this fall. The market along A. Philip Randolph Boulevard, between Albert and Oakley streets, will be a destination for people seeking healthy food, local artisanship and services, live entertainment, educational workshops and community spirit, organizers say. As many as 100 vendors are expected. Initially, the market will be open only on the weekends of the Jacksonville Jaguars’ home football games. “We were going to do the whole three quarters of a mile from the expressway to First Street, but decided to start small and grow,” said Miller, who volunteers with Groundwork Jacksonville. “The public market may not seem like a big thing, but just watch and see. It’s going to be a game-changer.” Groundwork Jacksonville’s unfunded long-term vision is to recreate the “Emerald Necklace” by redeveloping contaminated brownfield sites and reconnecting the city’s neglected urban parks and neighborhoods. The plans call for a walkway to connect the Northbank to A. Philip Randolph Boulevard and follow Hogans Creek to the S-Line Rail Trail in north Springfield. Ultimately, the trail would connect McCoys
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consecutive weekdays