The Duval County School Board approved its part of a land swap proposal that will improve prospects for developing the former JEA Southside Generating Station site Downtown along the Southbank.
In a unanimous decision, the board supported transferring .47 acre of its parking lot to JEA to allow for a connecting road between Prudential Drive and the 30-acre riverfront site. The utility will transfer 1.33 acres of the site to Duval County Public Schools for construction of a replacement parking area.
The road would merge with Broadcast Place and then continue under Interstate 95 to connect with the parking garage along Kings Avenue owned by the Jacksonville Transportation Authority.
The JTA board is expected to evaluate its part of the property transfer proposal at its board meeting in August.
Assuming that transfer is approved, JEA would have acquired the property needed to construct the road, which is expected to make the site more likely to be developed.
City Council has final approval for the transfer of property among the parties.
Opening of bids from potential developers of the site was postponed until at least September to make sure property rights have been secured for the road.
Nancy Kilgo, JEA director of government affairs, said June 17, when the utility’s board approved the property transfer proposal, that the estimated cost for the road is $10 million but how to pay for the project is yet to be determined. It could be part of the developer’s cost, a publicly funded project or a partnership, she said.
The property has been available for development since 2000 when the electric generating station stopped production.
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