DCPS plan move from Southbank to Baymeadows, raising accessibility concerns

[Jax_Developer]

I hope this Fleet Landing will allow for public access of the grounds given this location. They are usually exclusive to members.

Nothing is likely to materialize at RiversEdge (beyond townhomes/public spaces) for the next several years. There are no active/pending civil plans nor any DDRB applications to approve the individual buildings.

[thelakelander]

Hmmm....Fleet Landing has a retirement home exemption from the state. So this property stays off the tax rolls, generating zero for the Southbank Tax Increment Fund. Plus we a 146,000-square-foot suburban office building also goes off the tax rolls. This gets more fiscally irresponsible from a Duval County Taxpayer perspective.

[jaxlongtimer]

Hmmm....Fleet Landing has a retirement home exemption from the state. So this property stays off the tax rolls, generating zero for the Southbank Tax Increment Fund. Plus we a 146,000-square-foot suburban office building also goes off the tax rolls. This gets more fiscally irresponsible from a Duval County Taxpayer perspective.

Good point and agreed.  The whole idea of getting government buildings off the river was to get the valuable land on the tax rolls.  If that isn't happening, what is the point of all this?  The move is already is questionable from a financial standpoint, regardless, and this just adds to the worthlessness of doing this.  More Jax silliness for the optics, not the substance.  Just like U2C.  And, taxpayers screwed again.

[acme54321]

https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/news/2025/aug/25/report-fleet-landing-wants-to-buy-duval-schools-headquarters-for-retirement-community/

Not sure how I feel about swapping one tax exempt entity for another in this location.  I could be swayed depending on what they are proposing.

[jcjohnpaint]

It is not a lot of land.

[Jax_Developer]

3+ acres of CCBD zoning, on the River, is a lot of land. Have to remember that they can qualify for every incentive that any project in Lavilla can qualify for.

[CityLife]

3+ acres of CCBD zoning, on the River, is a lot of land. Have to remember that they can qualify for every incentive that any project in Lavilla can qualify for.

Yes and no. If they are property tax exempt, they aren't eligible for REV grants (property tax abatement). Also, because there will be no additional property tax revenue generated, COJ could factor that in to the incentive process and not offer them a completion grant or give a substantially smaller one.

The Related Group tower is getting a 75% REV Grant ($19.8 million) based on the new ad valorem taxes generated over 15 years and a $39 million completion grant. That indicates that there is a lot of intangible value to COJ in simply getting middle to upper income residents to live downtown.

[Jax_Developer]

The property tax exemption is just a more valuable benefit than what the REV grant incentive would allow. It still gets access to every other incentive available - which some are by-right. I think your logic on the completion grant likely goes the other way. They will argue the REV grant is irrelevant to their use as an argument for more incentives elsewhere.

As you mentioned earlier, Fleet Landing has a great reputation & connections locally. I can't imagine them not getting a 'deal' here. Probably already somewhat negotiated.

[MakeDTjaxGre@tAgain]

With that being said, I wouldn't get my hopes up on it being a tower - though we need more. I'd expect more of the same stick figures we've seen them produce in their previous projects. Not that they are bad communities, because they look good. Just not for dt. But who am I to argue? This will bring much needed residents and possibly kick some momentum into RiversEdge.

[jaxjags]

I believe the Nocatee Fleet Landing has a 9-story tower.  Could be stick over platform, I guess. Not sure if it phased in but does show on the renderings and is not bad looking.

[acme54321]

With that being said, I wouldn't get my hopes up on it being a tower - though we need more. I'd expect more of the same stick figures we've seen them produce in their previous projects. Not that they are bad communities, because they look good. Just not for dt. But who am I to argue? This will bring much needed residents and possibly kick some momentum into RiversEdge.

The Nocatee location has a midrise component.  My guess is that they would propose something like that here. 

[urban_]

IMO they should put @heights unknown in charge of the design; I think he'd make a good proposal. Nothing less than 20 stories with a rooftop venue!

[CityLife]

Hmmm....Fleet Landing has a retirement home exemption from the state. So this property stays off the tax rolls, generating zero for the Southbank Tax Increment Fund. Plus we a 146,000-square-foot suburban office building also goes off the tax rolls. This gets more fiscally irresponsible from a Duval County Taxpayer perspective.

Do we know if it is going to be a nursing home or retirement home? Or both?

The property appraiser website has one of the large Fleet Landing Parcels in Atlantic Beach with an assessed value of $56 million, a $16 million state exemption, and total taxable value of $40 million. This parcel and some others are for independent living and are on the tax rolls.  However, one of their Atlantic Beach parcels is coded as nursing and has a $14 million value that is entirely exempt.

[jaxlongtimer]

Hmmm....Fleet Landing has a retirement home exemption from the state. So this property stays off the tax rolls, generating zero for the Southbank Tax Increment Fund. Plus we a 146,000-square-foot suburban office building also goes off the tax rolls. This gets more fiscally irresponsible from a Duval County Taxpayer perspective.

Do we know if it is going to be a nursing home or retirement home? Or both?

The property appraiser website has one of the large Fleet Landing Parcels in Atlantic Beach with an assessed value of $56 million, a $16 million state exemption, and total taxable value of $40 million. This parcel and some others are for independent living and are on the tax rolls.  However, one of their Atlantic Beach parcels is coded as nursing and has a $14 million value that is entirely exempt.

This makes sense.  When nonprofits engage in "businesses" that are not for the overall community good, but rather mimic for-profit activities, tax authorities (including the IRS) typically will deem those activities "taxable" just like if they were operated by a for-profit. 

Running a "retirement" home for only those that can afford to pay is not a charitable function, so I would expect that portion of activity to be taxable.

[Jax_Developer]

I'm 95% sure that Fleet Landing (now expanded) has a model similar to Cypress Village in that they have independent-living rental property on their grounds that allow access to their full amenities. That use is generally not tax-exempt property. Cypress Village did it fee-simple. Fleet Landing did it as a multi-family space.