JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville City Council held a special meeting Thursday morning to discuss funding a plan to re-develop the Laura Street Trio.
The buildings located on Laura and Forsyth Streets in downtown Jacksonville were built just after the Great Fire in 1901. They’ve sat vacant for decades.
On Thursday, the owner and developer told News4JAX that the buildings might have to come down because he is not getting anywhere with the city about redevelopment plans.
Steve Atkins of the Southeast Development Group has been trying for years to turn this historical property into a hotel, apartments and retail shops.
MORE: Developer wants loan assistance to help jumpstart long-delayed Laura Street Trio project downtown
The latest attempt involves the city using $22 million to basically back up a construction loan and the city could get the money back. The plan was to put the plan on the fast track but on Thursday, the city council said there were just too many unanswered questions. Now the council is going to send it back to another agency, the Downtown Investment Authority. In June, the DIA board voted to send a term sheet including $36.5 million in incentives to the city council without a recommendation for or against it. DIA staff reported at the time that SouthEast did not meet certain DIA criteria for incentives, including the return on public investment.
“It’s a possibility,” Atkins said when asked if the project could be dead. “And unfortunately, the next step would probably be to take the buildings down and to build something out. That would be really unfortunate. That’s certainly not what we would like to do. I think it’s too important to the city. But we may be left with no other alternative.”
Atkins said it doesn’t matter that the buildings are historical.
“I mean, everything’s got a lifespan,” he said. “Even if they’re historic buildings, it doesn’t preclude the opportunity for them to have to be demolished.”
Atkins that’s a reality, not a threat.
“Well, or they’re going to fall down. I mean, we’ve got issues structurally with the building, has to be done within a certain amount of time,” Atkins said.
City councilman Matt Carlucci introduced the legislation and is a bigger supporter of Atkins and responded to his comments about the potential future of the trio.
“What Mr. Atkins has been through, I can’t say that I’m blaming you. I’m just telling you, he has worked hard. He’s got more money in this than anybody could ever believe. He’s got a good name in this community. And I’m not sure he’s been treated fairly at all levels,” Carlucci said.
Other council members said they are surprised after hearing Atkins’ comments.
“It is a concern now that you’re expressing that to me. The other point is, I think there may be some protections there because of the historical preservation. And that’s is what the head of the downtown investment authority is saying. She does not think the buildings would come down,” Councilwoman Tyrona Clark-Murray said.
Many people, like 50-year Jacksonville resident Billie Bradford, still see the buildings as a work of art -- and an opportunity.
“They just look iconic, and they look nice,” Bradford said. “I love that architecture.”
Bradford said she’d love to see them restored and revitalized.
In the past, the owner has gotten approval from the DIA, but construction costs and other issues have led him to restructure the funding for the project.
Jennifer Morrissey has stationed her hot dog and sausage stand business at the Laura and Forsyth Streets intersection for years and says the city’s plans to redevelop the trio would mean good things for Jacksonville.
”I’m from Chicago and the downtown of Chicago is full of life, and down here, that will help it,” Morrissey said. “It will be the same. I think people will come for more events.”
Carlucci said News4JAX that if the project is completed, it’ll become downtown’s signature development.
In a statement, he said:
”Restoring the Laura Street Trio will serve as a continual economic catalyst, offering affordable housing, a four-star hotel, and an upscale restaurant. Furthermore, the cost of inaction is too high, as leaving these central, historic properties in a state of disrepair and vacancy undermines the vitality of our historic urban core. We must take decisive action to prevent this.”
Morrissey says given the back-and-forth Jacksonville residents have seen over the years with other projects not panning out, she’s staying cautiously optimistic about this one.
“They say it’s going to happen, and then it doesn’t,” Morrissey said. “And then I hear from the construction workers that I feed. They’re like, ‘No, no, no, it’s happening’. And then it doesn’t.”
Carlucci said if the project passes through the council and is signed into law by the mayor, construction has to begin within 90 days, with just over two years to finish.