by Sean McManus
Staff Writer
Local developer Tony Sleiman wants to build another shopping center and the neighbors are nervous.
The neighbors in this case are the residents who live in the upscale Jacksonville Golf & Country Club — no slouches when it comes to economic clout. But Sleiman is widely known as having a little economic clout himself.
Harry Shapiro, who is on the Club’s board, said he tried to contact the City’s Planning and Development office a few weeks ago, asking to be brought to the table during the design phase of the 42-acre shopping center, but he never received a response.
Last week, Lawrence Stewart, president of the JGCC board, sent a letter to Jeannie Fewell, director of Planning and Development, saying JGCC property owners are concerned about “the impact of our properties along with increased traffic in the area.” With clearing underway for the 500,000 square-foot mall, the letter continued, the board wants to review the plans as soon as possible.
On Tuesday, Fewell said the letter had just landed on her desk, which was the first she had heard of JGCC’s interest in meeting with her department and Sleiman.
“That’s no problem,” she said. “Of course we can get everybody together.”
But JGCC is unhappy with what they perceive as a lack of attention from the City and they say they will continue to fight to have their voices heard regarding what may be a “regional shopping center” in their back yard.
But the project is not actually underway. According to Sleiman, the construction on the corner of Beach and Hodges boulevards is a road widening project, which is part of the Better Jacksonville Plan. He said his company is still in the permitting process and has yet to touch the property.
“We don’t even have a design yet,” said Sleiman. “And we always bring the neighbors to the table. That’s the first thing we do. It’s just too early.”
The proposed Hodges Point Plaza will feature 375,000 square feet of retail space, including a 200,000 square-foot retailer that usually has the name “Super” in front of it.
Stewart said he’s looking forward to discussing the overall plan with the City and Sleiman, if given the chance.
“Harry [Shapiro] was a real estate lawyer in Maryland who handled rezoning and transactions,” said Stewart. “We have lots of people here who know the ropes and we want to make sure this thing gets built in the right way.”
There are 915 homes in JGCC, a residential development that has been through this kind of thing before.
“When a shopping center went up on the corner of Kernan and Beach boulevards a few years ago, we sat down with the developer and he even showed us the color of the building,” said Stewart. “It makes sense to have the neighbors for your project instead of against it.”
Stewart said usually it only takes simple improvements to propel a development from most hated to most loved by its neighbors.
“It could be as simple as building a berm with trees to buttress the property or just shining lights a different way,” he said. “There’s no such thing as a pretty back of a shopping center, but there are ways to mitigate and soften the impact.”
Stewart said the board of JGCC has no problem with a shopping center adjacent to their homes but said that he thinks the developers would want the economic support of the 3,000 people who live there.
“We’re trying to figure out what it’s going to be,” said Stewart. “There’s a Target 4.5 miles away at AIA and J.Turner Butler and there’s a Walmart a quarter mile away in one direction and two miles away on Kernan in the other.”
Stewart said one of the other main concerns with a development of this size is what are called the “out lots,” the Burger Kings, Jiffy Stores and other small chains that pull people off the road.
“That is what can really be the worst aesthetically,” said Stewart. “So we just want to see what kind of regulation is involved.”
Stewart said they know lights are important for safety but if they decrease the wattage, it can make a big difference.
“The same goes for sound,” he said. “It could just be a matter of moving the delivery doors to another side.”
Fewell said that she’s always had cooperation from Sleiman and is convinced all parties will be satisfied.
“We know that in this country, you can do whatever you want with your own property,” said Stewart. “We are hoping the developer and the City will want to meet with us.”