Sure signs of development going up are when buildings are coming down.
Two high-profile sites near Downtown — one in Riverside and another in San Marco — should be razed soon, paving the way for new construction.
At 1500 Riverside Ave., a 4,316-square-foot building will be taken down and the asphalt parking area and concrete walks will be removed on the site, just over a half-acre.
The site is a former medical office at Riverside Avenue and Lomax Street.
Going up will be a one-story, 5,000-square-foot office building for the Alexander DeGance Barnett law firm.
Partner Michelle Bedoya Barnett expects the firm to move in October from its leased space, about 3,500 square feet, in One Enterprise Center Downtown.
W.R. Townsend Construction LLC is the contractor for the demolition and Scherer Construction of North Florida LLC will handle site preparation and construction.
The firm, founded in April 2010, bought the property in December 2013 through ADB Real Estate Holdings LLC. Partner Mark Alexander said in April 2014 that the total investment in the project would be more than $2 million.
Construction was anticipated to start last June, but Barnett said the plan has been to move this October when its lease will expire.
“We made use of this time to invest in a more efficient design that will better suit the needs of our law firm,” she said. “We are right on track.”
The building initially was designed as a two-story, more than 9,000-square-foot building but Barnett said the structure was redesigned as one story and with as many workstations as in the original design.
Riverside is the site of significant development and redevelopment from Brooklyn, at the Acosta Bridge, into the area where the firm is building, west of the Interstate 95 overpass.
Along Riverside Avenue in Brooklyn, about 600 apartments are under construction as well as the Brooklyn Station on Riverside retail center anchored by Fresh Market.
Near I-95, The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens has redeveloped its grounds and parking lot, and the Beacon Riverside condominium tower developer is preparing to lay the foundation off Riverside Avenue along the waterfront.
Across the St. Johns River in San Marco, another burgeoning area for development and redevelopment, five buildings will be demolished on 1.16 acres for construction of a Daily’s convenience store.
The structures are at Atlantic Boulevard, Olevia Street and Farragut Place. Realco Recycling Co. Inc. will take down the structures, which range in size from 435 to 2,108 square feet.
Daily’s is a brand of Jacksonville-based First Coast Energy L.L.P. The San Marco project will be a 5,000-square-foot convenience store along with a car wash and 16 fueling positions at 2017 Farragut Place at Atlantic Boulevard.
First Coast Energy paid $1.6 million for the land, assembling eight parcels.
The site isn’t far from the proposed East San Marco development, a proposed mixed-use residential and retail project designed to be anchored by a Publix Super Market.
That 5-acre site is largely vacant, except for a Wells Fargo branch that will remain.
One commonality between the Brooklyn and San Marco redevelopment areas is Jacksonville-based shopping center developer and owner Regency Centers Inc.
Regency developed Brooklyn Station on Riverside and controls the East San Marco property. It hopes to sell that land to a developer and then buy back and operate the retail portion after construction.
A deal last year didn’t move forward, but the project remains in discussion.
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