DCPS plan move from Southbank to Baymeadows, raising accessibility concerns

[jaxlongtimer]

DCPS should buy back the Shultz Center in Midtown Park off Beach.  It is well located, has all kinds of meeting and training facilities originally designed for DCPS.  The office park is half empty and older so they can buy adjacent land and build-to-suit the office building of their dreams or renovate one of the larger empty ones in the Park with lots of parking on the cheap.  Probably the best deal close to Downtown regarding location, pricing, suitability, and available land.  The Shultz Center was already incorporated in their Baymeadows plans so they already are half way there.

[Jones518]

Oh !!!! Look at this here:


https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/news/2025/nov/04/divided-duval-county-school-board-votes-to-sell-southbank-hq-to-chase-properties/


I'm happy they are moving off the riverfront, disappointed that another major employer is leaving downtown yet again...

[jaxlongtimer]

Divided Duval County School Board votes to sell Southbank HQ to Chase Properties

A divided Duval County School board voted Nov. 4 to sell its headquarters along the Downtown Southbank and buy a building in Baymeadows that will become the district's new administrative home.

In a 4-3 vote, the board approved selling its riverfront building at 1701 Prudential Drive to Chase Properties Inc. for $17.2 million.

Board Chair Charlotte Joyce, Vice Chair April Carney and board members Reginald Blount and Melody Bolduc voted in favor. Board members Cynthia Pearson, Anthony Ricardo and Darryl Willie voted no.

The vote on the proposal to purchase the building at 8928 Prominence Parkway in Baymeadows for $13.65 million fell along the same split, with Joyce, Carney, Blount and Bolduc in favor and Pearson, Ricardo and Willie against.

Carney called for the vote after about an hour of discussion of topics that already were covered at the board's Oct. 7 meeting when a proposal to sell the 1701 Prudential Drive property to retirement community developer Fleet Landing and purchase the building in Baymeadows were both unanimously rejected....

...On Oct. 5, Chase submitted a proposal to the school board that Balanky described as a "visionary development plan" for the Prudential Drive property.

The plan for the condos, apartments and commercial uses was developed by Balanky. Sleiman Enterprises President and CEO Toney Sleiman and Steven Suddath, chairman of the board of Suddath Companies.

The proposal cited the partners' decades of experience in redevelopment and mixed-use, retail and high-rise projects....

https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/news/2025/nov/04/divided-duval-county-school-board-votes-to-sell-southbank-hq-to-chase-properties/

The deal with Chase should have been voted down for the same reasons as Fleet Landing... it doesn't make economic sense for the School Board and the taxpayers.  And, Chase, like Fleet Landing, could build on other available riverfront properties that currently stand completely empty.

I note that in the 4 to 3 vote, all 4 of the "for-s" were the MAGA contingent.  No surprise there.

Looking at Chase's rendering, the buildings proposed, once again, don't appear to be all that exciting.  And, they are high rises closely approaching the edge of the river, another out of scale waterfront development.  Hoping Chase tears up this concept and starts over but knowing Jax developers, we are likely going to end up with a strictly "cost effective" structure.

[vicupstate]

I get the lament about losing the office workers but this is a win overall. 600 residences and 200k of retail/commercial space makes up for it. The office workers will return once DT is a vibrant population center.  The board is getting more money than the new building costs and the new development will pay property taxes.

Getting this up will help get things moving at the JEA site.

[Jones518]

Office vacancy rates are killing downtown Jax right now... this does not help in the short term...


The only way I would be impressed is if Chase properties can move as quickly as Gateway Jax to get things moving on this site.... The key is breaking ground, turning soil, getting cranes in the air as quickly as possible.....

We've seen too many buildings demolished and beautiful renderings released that never actually materialize — I am hopeful, but a little skeptical until I see dirt moving and cranes in the air.


Does anyone know the status of The related group's high rise project at the former River City Brewery company site adjacent to friendship fountains? That's just one of many examples downtown where demolition and big announcements didn't lead to visible progress. Hopefully, this new project with Chase properties bucks that trend...


Don't even get me started on the old Duval County Courthouse site on Bay Street that sits as a vacant and empty lot 6/7 days of the week and only being used for parking by Deccalive on weekends....

[Joey Mackey]

Maybe we will finally get those gondolas across the River! https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/news/2018/mar/20/balanky-plans-southbank-tower-with-gondolas-across-st-johns/

Yea, I am going to put this guy in the Developer of Renderings pile (see Atkins), instead of the Developer of Buildings pile (see Gateway). I hope he proves me wrong.

[MakeDTjaxGre@tAgain]

Lack luster to say the least. It fits in well with the current waterfront structures we currently have. However, there's nothing to differentiate what has been developed over time. Hoping DDRB sends them back to the drawing boards to come up with a better more up to date modern rendering. This looks like towers that were built in the 2000s. It needs more curves imo, something that you can add lights to in the night to stand out.

[heights unknown]

Office vacancy rates are killing downtown Jax right now... this does not help in the short term...


The only way I would be impressed is if Chase properties can move as quickly as Gateway Jax to get things moving on this site.... The key is breaking ground, turning soil, getting cranes in the air as quickly as possible.....

We've seen too many buildings demolished and beautiful renderings released that never actually materialize — I am hopeful, but a little skeptical until I see dirt moving and cranes in the air.


Does anyone know the status of The related group's high rise project at the former River City Brewery company site adjacent to friendship fountains? That's just one of many examples downtown where demolition and big announcements didn't lead to visible progress. Hopefully, this new project with Chase properties bucks that trend...


Don't even get me started on the old Duval County Courthouse site on Bay Street that sits as a vacant and empty lot 6/7 days of the week and only being used for parking by Deccalive on weekends....

Regarding the tower on the Southbank (Related Group), I believe the next step is turning dirt/soil and cranes in the air. The City, from what I have dug up, has expressed urgency, as has Related, to start construction. If this is true, regarding  urgency of starting construction by both sides, I, and most of us are wondering what in the world is the holdup. Maybe we'll see super news after the new year (hopefully). Site preparation and construction should begin soon.

[Jones518]

Office vacancy rates are killing downtown Jax right now... this does not help in the short term...


The only way I would be impressed is if Chase properties can move as quickly as Gateway Jax to get things moving on this site.... The key is breaking ground, turning soil, getting cranes in the air as quickly as possible.....

We've seen too many buildings demolished and beautiful renderings released that never actually materialize... I am hopeful, but a little skeptical until I see dirt moving and cranes in the air.


Does anyone know the status of The related group's high rise project at the former River City Brewery company site adjacent to friendship fountains? That's just one of many examples downtown where demolition and big announcements didn't lead to visible progress. Hopefully, this new project with Chase properties bucks that trend...


Don't even get me started on the old Duval County Courthouse site on Bay Street that sits as a vacant and empty lot 6/7 days of the week and only being used for parking by Deccalive on weekends....

Regarding the tower on the Southbank (Related Group), I believe the next step is turning dirt/soil and cranes in the air. The City, from what I have dug up, has expressed urgency, as has Related, to start construction. If this is true, regarding  urgency of starting construction by both sides, I, and most of us are wondering what in the world is the holdup. Maybe we'll see super news after the new year (hopefully). Site preparation and construction should begin soon.

The Related Group they are super active down in South Florida right now. I don't think they are very focused on this site here in NE Florida... I would not be surprised if they come up with some other lousy excuse to ask for more tax incentives or even scratch the project altogether.... Projects up here in Northeast Florida are often secondary priorities for them unless local conditions make it really favorable (like big tax incentives, city partnerships, or guaranteed pre-leasing).


A lot of these developers are just smoke and mirrors.... I wish the news stations would stop giving them time any of day until they start putting their money where their mouth is in the form of turning dirt and putting cranes in the air.

[jcjohnpaint]

The tower was taken off related's site. I think it is dead

[Jones518]

The tower was taken off related's site. I think it is dead

Not surprised!!!

The city of Jax has to do a better job at vetting developers and holding developers like that accountable....

We lost one of the few riverfront restaurants to a developer who demolished the RCBC building with false promises of bringing something bigger and better... talk about a vibrancy killer...


Despicable!!

[heights unknown]

The tower was taken off related's site. I think it is dead

THAT doesn't surprise me either. I noticed I didn't see it anywhere but was hoping. Hope we didn't give them any incentives, and yes, hold all of them accountable, legal by contract, to not dole out money or too much money until construction is 75% complete or finally complete. I like the twin residential towers on the DPSC site; I hope that comes to fruition. I was wondering why the Related Tower was taking so long; they silently decided not to move forward. I'll bet they asked the City for more money and the City said no.

[heights unknown]

The tower was taken off related's site. I think it is dead

REGARDING THE RELATED TOWER ON THE SOUTHBANK (From Co-Pilot/AI): Here is an excerpt from a question I posed to CO-PILOT regarding the Related Group Tower - MY QUESTION: "The Related Tower that was to be built on the Southbank of Downtown Jacksonville has been taken off/removed from the Related Group's website out of Miami; does this mean that the tower has been cancelled and is a "no go?" CO-PILOT/AI'S ANSWER - "No, the Related Tower project on the Southbank of Downtown Jacksonville has not been cancelled. In fact, it received final approval from the Jacksonville City Council in October 2024 and is moving forward.

Project Status: Still Active
Final approval granted: On October 8, 2024, the Jacksonville City Council voted 17-0 to approve a redevelopment agreement and an incentive package totaling $58.79 million for the project.

Project scope:

A 25-story residential tower on the former River City Brewing Co. site

An eight-story apartment building

A nine-story parking garage

A riverfront restaurant and public space improvements

Why It Might Be Missing from the Website
Website updates: The Related Group may have temporarily removed the project from its site due to redesigns, rebranding, or internal marketing decisions.

Not indicative of cancellation: Removal from the website does not mean the project is scrapped—especially given the recent public funding approval and redevelopment agreement.

[Charles Hunter]

The AI is concluding that the lack of a definitive "cancel" statement means the project is not canceled. Is the AI aware of Jacksonville's history as Rendering City?

[jaxlongtimer]

Consider local partisan politics, higher interest rates, substantially higher building costs, an economy on the downhill slide due to tariffs, government shutdown, layoffs, etc.  With all that, who would want to build a big dollar high end project in Jacksonville where absorption rates for their type of urban core project may be unproven adding substantial risk? 

No one seems to want to go first.  Maybe Gateway (are they building condos or just apartments?) or the Four Seasons shows the way.