Jacksonville Landing redesign job awarded

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Ponte Vedra Beach office is what secured Wakefield Beasley & Associates top billing Thursday as the group that will redesign the Jacksonville Landing, the Financial News & Daily Record reported.

A call for proposals was issued in January by the Downtown Investment Authority, which sought a company that specialized in waterfront and public access.

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Fourteen responses were trimmed to three, with Wakefield Beasley ultimately tying with Atlanta-based Cooper Carry Inc. for the top score. Although Wakefield Beasley also is based in Atlanta, it has an office in Ponte Vedra Beach. And according to city code, a local presence breaks the tie.

The city's Professional Services Evaluation Committee held to that.

After the vote, DIA CEO Aundra Wallace said he's been closely following some of Wakefield Beasley's projects in Atlanta, -- SunTrust Park and Avalon are two in the company's portfolio -- and he believes they "have the chops" to succeed on the Landing.

Wallace and DIA board member Doris Goldstein were the two who scored the proposals, with Goldstein saying after Thursday's decision that both firms have the experience to help with a "complete reimagining" of the venue.

Wakefield Beasley is partnering with Pittsburgh-based Urban Design Associates, who has extensive work in waterfront projects.

As the Landing prepares for a redesign, one of its original tenants will be closing shop. The Toy Factory, which opened with the landing in 1987, is in the final days of its going out of business sale. The owner is retiring.

For more on this story, go to http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com.