JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville City Council voted 16-2 on Tuesday to approve an emergency ordinance that endorsed a plan to provide $35 million in public incentives to lure the Culinary Institute of America to a new Downtown riverfront development.
The vote was driven by a hard deadline: the Culinary Institute’s board of directors is scheduled to meet June 15-16 to vote on whether Jacksonville will serve as the institution’s southeast campus.
Recommended Videos
According to our news partner Jax Today, Corner Lot Development Group and Aspect Holdings LLC want to sign the school as an anchor tenant for 25,000 square feet of office space in its $160.5 million hotel and convention hall proposal at 330 E. Bay St. on the Downtown riverfront.
What the vote does — and doesn’t — do
Aundra Wallace, president of Jacksonville-based development firm JAXUSA, addressed the council before the vote to clarify what the legislation actually authorizes.
“You’re not — this legislation [is] authorizing any funds to be expended at this respective point in time,” Wallace said. “You still have to go through the Downtown Investment Authority’s disposition process, term sheet negotiation, as well as a redevelopment agreement that has to come back to you for final vote.”
Wallace acknowledged the process was unconventional, noting that funds are being set aside before a term sheet or redevelopment agreement has been finalized — the reverse of the typical order. He said the timeline was necessary to meet the Culinary Institute’s board’s schedule.
“If you take this step this evening, this gives us, the Downtown Investment Authority and others, the opportunity to continue to negotiate with the Culinary Institute of America,” Wallace said.
Culinary Institute touts San Antonio success as Jacksonville blueprint
Robert Jones, vice president of strategic partnerships for the Culinary Institute of America, addressed the council and pointed to the Culinary Institute’s San Antonio campus as the model for what Jacksonville could become.
“What began in 1946 as a bold mission by two visionary women to train returning GIs from World War II has today grown into a global institution shaping the future of food,” Jones said.
Jones said the Culinary Institute currently operates campuses in New York, California, Singapore and Texas, and highlighted the economic transformation San Antonio experienced after the Culinary Institute’s arrival there just over a decade ago.
“Today, just over a decade after opening the campus in San Antonio, it is a UNESCO creative city of gastronomy, has three Michelin stars, and dozens of James Beard Foundation recognized chefs that are CIA alumni,” Jones said.
He added that the hospitality industry in San Antonio has grown to more than $21.5 billion annually, fueled in part by food tourism tied to CIA programs.
Jones also highlighted the Culinary Institute’s work with military veterans — a point of particular relevance for Jacksonville, home to one of the largest military populations in the country.
“Through our ProChef certification program, service members and veterans receive industry-recognized certification to create a more seamless pathway into civilian life after they leave the service,” Jones said. “The same can be true for Jacksonville in the months and years to come.”
Council President Carrico noted the bill was fast-tracked to the floor to meet the CIA’s board meeting timeline and thanked fellow council members for their alignment on the issue.