New life for Berkman II? Owners seeking Commercial CBD Rezone

[downtownbrown]

Rumor update:

1. There was a lawsuit
2. It has been settled
3. A new redevelopment agreement between the owners and the city is being finalized
4. CC will vote on it early next year
5. As such, there is no timeline now
6. The investors are in place
7. The plans are expected to remain unchanged from the ones presented to DIA a while back

[thelakelander]

Lawsuit dismissed....

https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/article/lawsuit-over-berkman-plaza-ii-dismissed-lifts-cloud-over-redevelopment

[Westside Guy]

Wow. That increases the chances of this project getting off the ground from 0% all the way up to 0%.

[BridgeTroll]

Time to dust off the Mooneyhan plans... 

[Captain Zissou]

A Mooneyhan is running for city council.  Is that the same person?  If so, lets definitely give him access to the city budget.

[downtownbrown]

Wow. That increases the chances of this project getting off the ground from 0% all the way up to 0%.

That might be just a tad cynical.  Anyway, hoping for the best. 

[BridgeTroll]

A Mooneyhan is running for city council.  Is that the same person?  If so, lets definitely give him access to the city budget.

Good god I hope not...

[Steve]

This thing apparently is moving forward:

$36 million incentives deal to turn Berkman II into entertainment center going to City Council

The Downtown Investment Authority and 500 East Bay LLC are seeking City Council approval of a development agreement to provide $36 million in incentives for developers to convert the partially constructed Berkman II condominium along the Downtown Northbank into an entertainment center.

The project is estimated at $122 million. Ordinance 2019-151 is scheduled to be introduced Tuesday night.

https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/article/dollar36-million-incentives-deal-to-turn-berkman-ii-into-entertainment-center-going-to-city-council

[downtownbrown]

told ya

[KenFSU]

So, as part of this arrangement, we'd be selling the below 2.8 acres of Shipyards property to 500 East Bay for $1.6 million.



The Jags technically hold redevelopment rights over that property, I wonder if they'll have to sign off on the land sale. They've been very vocal about the need to see Berkman II redeveloped, so hopefully it wouldn't be an issue, but if this thing gets closer, it will be interesting to see how they react.

As a reminder, the last time they presented their vision for this specific parcel, it was flagged as residential:



Based on 500 East Bay's last rendering for the site, which they fully admitted was not final, here's what they have planned for those ~3 acres east of Berkman II.



On the surface, it feels like they're under-utilizing that plot by just having a parking garage, outdoor rides, and maybe part of the swimming pool.

But if you look at the contamination map, that area of land has some of the heaviest concentration of lead and arsenic of the entire Shipyards site. Frankly I'm shocked that 500 East Bay is even willing to pay $1.6 million for it in the condition it's in.



Environmental standards are obviously much less stringest for parking and recreation than they are for residential or commercial, so if the developer was able to turn this parcel into a successful, vibrant part of the riverwalk without the need for ~$10 million in environmental remediation, it really wouldn't be that bad of a deal for the city.

[downtownbrown]

I'm sure Khan will support this 100%.  All he wanted was Berkman to be resolved one way or another.  And a hotel works for him very nicely.

[pierre]

I looked forward to 5 years from now when nothing has happened with Berkman II and we all get a good laugh at the photos of water slides and ferris wheels.

[thelakelander]

City incentives for downtown resort hotel get scrutiny

Full article: https://www.jacksonville.com/news/20190311/city-incentives-for-downtown-resort-hotel-get-scrutiny

[Jax-Nole]

From the article, I see the hotel is going to be Watermark Jacksonville. I assume this project is very similar to Barrington Development's project in Biloxi, MS. There they are renovating an old senior housing building into Watermark Suites Biloxi, while also renovating another building into a Margaritaville Hotel, with the entertainment center including Ferris wheel in between. Obviously, the Margaritaville part won't be applicable here since there is only one building to renovate/finish, plus there is already the Margaritaville hotel being built at Jax Beach.

[downtownbrown]

Great examples of why nothing ever happens.  Danny Becton says we sound "desperate". The shell has been sitting there for 12 years with no one beating down the door.  Damn right we're desperate.

Greg Anderson points out that we've never done incentives before.  What? And if this really is a novel approach, why doesn't Mr. Anderson understand that new thinking is required to move the ball?

Schellenberger wonders what's in it for the average citizen.  It's a question too stupid to answer.  It's a matter of having a downtown or NOT having a downtown. Something has got to break the log jam. Sitting around with your clamp on the purse will guarantee more of the same.