Ten Reasons to Save Fire Station Five

[mtraininjax]

Whatever you say. 

[Lunican]

Moving it to LaVilla would require getting it up and over the railroad tracks.

[mtraininjax]

Lake - Did you know that the area you would "like" to move FS 5 is actually fenced in by FDOT? IT would appear to be FDOT land, not private land.

What should happen, in my mind, would be to offer Fidelity a 2-5 year break on their energy through JEA to have them pay to move it and renovate the building off their property. Its a win-win for all, Fidelity gets good PR, we get to keep the building and it gets renovated.

How could it happen? The City is looking to give the steel mill in Baldwin a tax break on energy consumption and to use the JEA to allow it to happen. It has been done before, with Anchor Glass, so its not new, and is easy for the Mayor and his administration to get behind.

[Dog Walker]

Can someone explain to me why Fidelity wants to tear it down now when they have no immediate plans for the land that it sits on?

I keep looking at it and thinking what a great building and location for a high end, business restaurant. Hey, Fidelity, rather than having a bare piece of pavement, you could be getting RENT!

[JaxNative68]

The city is the one's that wants the building gone.  the city's plans are to extend the new forest street expansion on the west side of riverside ave across riverside ave to the pocket park.  the city had plans on making this the new gateway to the city from I-10 & I-95.  The land Fidelity owned and traded to the city was where the river front pocket park sit now, built at Fidelity's expense.  They traded the land for a parcel that is adjacent to their new 8 story building where their new retention pond is located.  As I understand it from my associations with Fidelity is that city still owns the land.

All the talk about locating a restaurant or buisness there is nuts with the expense it would take to renovate and convert.  Especially when you have vacant office/retail/restaurant space across the street in the EverBank Plaza that would be far more cost effective to move into.  Not to mention the parking garage that is attached to that building.  Unfortunately the ground floor of the EverBank Plaza sits empty due to there isn't a strong evening market place in that location.  You can try to tell me otherwise with fabricated data, but the fact the vacant space has sat vacant for 2+ years tells me otherwise.

[thelakelander]

Everbank's retail spaces have other issues, especially if we're talking about the garage.  A decent specialty retail space needs about 70' depth and 20 - 25' width (based off experience of designing shopping centers and working with chain retail companies).  Something, like a pharmacy or major chain will require additional design considerations before they ink a deal.  I'd be suprised if Everbank's garage retail depths are any more than 30'.  With that type of design, depending on what the lease rate may be, its a pretty hard sell.  Anyway, as far as retail/dining goes, how is Johnny's doing across the street?

[stjr]

In this area, lacking substantial pedestrian traffic, retail spaces in Everbank would not be as street friendly as a free standing building on Riverside with an obvious dedicated parking lot.  Who wants to park in a multilevel garage to get a bite to eat?  And, some, right or wrong, may associate a garage with PAY parking and just avoid it altogether.

The trick is to attract the area office workers, the neighborhood residents, AND the drive-thru visitors.  Across the street would be a viable solution and worth the extra costs for a superior result.  By the way, Two Doors Down, around the corner at Forest and Park, seems to be doing a great business.

[JaxNative68]

EBP is a triple net space, which is an expensive undertaking if your the first generation tenant moving in, which drives the prospective tenants away in the end.  Many designs have been done for both the under garage and under tower retail, but in the end the deal breaker was always the initial build-out cost.  The tenants always felt there wouldn't be enough of a diner/after hours crowd to make the numbers work.  By the way parking in the garage is free.

The building owners should probably get off their wallets and give better incentives to move in, presently, if I heard right, the $/sf build-out allowance is ridiculously low.  Give a larger allowance would be better than sitting on empty space.

Also the under garage retail was never intended in the original designs, it was pushed on the building owners by DRC.

[tayana42]

You guys need to clarify some things for me please.  Am I misinformed about the moving cost of a building of this size: isn't the cost dramatically higher with every additional block?  Removing electrical, phone, and cable lines and then reinstalling, police for traffic control, etc.  Then there is the cost of a foundation, updating wiring, hvac, insulation, etc.  BUT given the structure might be free, and that it has charisma, would it work out financially.  As to moving to Metropolitan Park, the Acosta bridge vertical clearance at mean high water is 65 ft which should be adequate; main street is a lift bridge so no problem there. The cost to get the building on a barge, the barge and tug cost, and getting it ashore sounds expensive.  Too expensive?
Just askin'.

[Dog Walker]

Tayana,  The truth is that we are all whistling in the dark, trying to come up with some way, no matter how wacky to save a historic building.  In all probability the city, while spending a few million dollars to gussy up Metropolitan Park, will say that saving Station 5 is too expensive and will tear it down.  The leaders of this city are completely tone deaf to historic preservation and its' advantages.

[Kay]

The best place to move Fire Station #5 is somewhere else in Brooklyn.  It would be cost prohibitive to move it under bridges, etc.  However, it will not cost more to move it one block or six blocks.  The estimate for moving it is $300,000 but that has not been firmed up yet. 

There is a Fernandina contractor interested in moving his business to Brooklyn and he'd like the building for his HQ.  It is a win/win as we'd be saving a building and creating jobs in Brooklyn. 

[CS Foltz]

tanya42.....everything that Dog Walker posted plus 65' is no where near high enough at high tide.......low tide on something less that 200' but longer than that, depends on what it is designed for, could pose problems trying to transit!

[CS Foltz]

kay............that actually makes sense! Since the City has seen fit to give Vescor $34.5 Million dollars , a lousy 300K should be well within its budget! I would rather see something recycled than torn down especially Fire House 5!

[mtraininjax]

There is a Fernandina contractor interested in moving his business to Brooklyn

Is this right in line with Cameron Kuhn wanting to build condos downtown? How about all the Vestcor/Landmar issues? I say the days of being interested begin with a million dollar bond to see if they are serious, after all money talks and BS walks. Too much BS still out there. City can put out an RFP/RFQ, and mandate that all interested parties would have to have some serious bonds involved.

Otherwise, knock it down. The city still cannot even get Brewster rented and that that is in a better location. The city has a poor record of maintaining buildings and the people it had maintain them, Bill Watson, Ed Ball Building messes come to mind.

[Steve]

Online Petition to save Fire Station #5.  I know recently there has been some petition issues in other neighborhoods, but the text of this one is clear as day:

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/3/help-save-old-fire-station-no-5

It takes 30 seconds to sign.