Jacksonville University is taking visible steps to expand its riverfront Arlington campus.
The private school will demolish 10 buildings at the former Boys’ Home Association Inc. property it bought immediately south of its campus. The home closed several years ago.
Those buildings sit on the 38.6-acre site that JU acquired in June for $3.3 million.
Margaret Dees, JU chief communications and marketing officer, said the university is preparing to start demolition and land preparation work. Details about timelines and specific uses will be shared later, she said in an emailed statement.
“The land fits with JU’s priorities to create new learning spaces for current and future students, expand our programs and facilities and help enhance the Arlington community as well,” she said.
Demolition permits under review show the 10 buildings, developed from 1946 to 1973, were used as group-care homes, an office, cafeteria, restrooms, gymnasium and warehouse storage.
Lockwood Quality Demolition Inc. is the contractor to take down the buildings. Each permit shows a cost of $15,900.
JU enrolls about 4,200 students at 2800 University Blvd. N., where property records show it owns about 207 acres at its campus.
It bought the boys’ home property at 2354 University Blvd. for future development. At the time, JU President Tim Cost said the riverfront property was the school’s largest acquisition in more than 50 years.
JU also is expanding to the north. Rimrock Development LLC is developing the 274-bed Dolphin Dorms for JU on almost 5 acres immediately north of the campus.
Cost became JU president in February 2013 and has pledged to improve the community surrounding the 80-year-old Arlington institution.
The university is raising funds for its $120 million ASPIRE campaign for university improvements. Some campus construction projects already have been completed.
To capture the additional property taxes raised by campus improvements, the city is working with JU and area leaders to create an official Community Redevelopment Area. That would allow those additional taxes to finance defined projects within the CRA, which would involve more than the area immediately around JU.
Skinner land being cleared for harvest
Site clearing along Gate Parkway has sparked speculation that the Skinner family might be preparing a site for a Deutsche Bank operations center.
That’s not the case, according to a family member.
A.C. “Chip” Skinner III said that as part of an ongoing forest and timber management plan, mature trees are being harvested at southeast and southwest Gate Parkway and Butler Boulevard and that work will soon begin at the northwest area near the town center.
“We are just thinning them,” he said.
Skinner properties have been speculated as potential sites for what is expected to be a large Deutsche Bank operations center.
Skinner declined comment about that and referred questions to Deutsche Bank, which has declined to comment about potential site plans.
Deals by the pound
Community Hospice of Northeast Florida will open a Thrift by the Pound store at 11173 Beach Blvd., the same address but with a separate entrance and operating as a separate line of business from its Thrift Store.
Terry Brown, communications specialist, said the store should open by late January.
Brown said Thrift by the Pound allows Community Hospice to recycle items donated to the thrift stores but might have a little more wear and tear.
“With clothing articles, we take this even further. If items are not sold in the store, we have a bundler that takes the clothes, bales them and they are sold for pennies on the dollar to Third World countries for further use by the poor and indigent,” Brown said.
“It allows clothing in particular the ultimate life-cycle, or at least the opportunity to be so,” he said.
Brown said Thrift by the Pound will be laid out in large bins, which customers rummage through to find deals.
The purchases are weighed and customers are charged by the pound. That cost might change periodically, “so you can really get some incredible deals based on the luck of the draw and timing.”
The city recently approved a permit for Community Hospice to remodel the 47,000-square-foot building to accommodate the Thrift by the Pound store.
Proceeds from the new store and the two thrift stores, along Beach Boulevard and in Orange Park at 680 Blanding Blvd., support the core mission of Community Hospice of Northeast Florida.
Retail notes
• Artsy Abode intends to open another Jacksonville area store, this one at the Riverplace Shopping Center in Mandarin. The 2,490-square-foot store should open at 11111 San Jose Blvd., No. 41. It already operates Jacksonville area stores in St. Johns Town Center, The Avenues mall, Fleming Island, Orange Park, Ponte Vedra Beach and St. Augustine.
• Hobby Lobby’s proposed new store along Max Leggett Parkway at Parkway Shops near River City Marketplace is in city review. Reynolds, Smith and Hills is the engineer for the 55,000-square-foot store on 4.12 acres. The store is expected to open next fall.
• Family Dollar wants to add a Mayport store at 2440 Mayport Road. The site now is vacant. Plans are under review. Family Dollar also recently indicated it wants to develop a new Westside store at 10390 Normandy Blvd. They would join about 50 Family Dollars in Northeast Florida.
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