Though the American Cancer Society is buying the Miller Press building on Prudential Drive, don’t look for a sudden influx of other non-profit organizations to move downtown.
“I think there are a number of non-profits who would like to move closer to the downtown area, but parking is a problem,” said Judy Smith, executive director of Volunteer Jacksonville, which provides services for several organizations. “It would be the biggest issue for our staff and for our customers. I would love to have Volunteer Jacksonville situated in the downtown area because it is becoming the place to be. However, we are very, very happy to be at Midtown Center [formerly the Koger Center], because it is so close to downtown.”
The Cancer Society was able to purchase the $1.4 million building with the help of a $1 million gift.
“I have to say that wasn’t in our forethought when we looked into moving,” said Susan Mattox, First Coast area executive director of the American Cancer Society. “But for our patients, volunteers and medical access, we just needed to find a central location and this building just happened to be available at a time when we needed it.”
Mattox said an in-house study indicated that to best serve most of their patients and volunteers, a location within a three-mile radius of the Fuller Warren Bridge was the ideal spot. The Miller Press building suits that need.
“We were looking to be centrally located to our patients and volunteers so we wanted to be on either side of the Fuller Warren Bridge so we have access to all the hospitals,” said Mattox.
Currently, the ACS is located on Beach Boulevard in a space the organization has outgrown.
“We are crawling all over each other,” said Mattox. “We have volunteers working in our hallways. We have literally run out of room. You would have just as many volunteers as staff in our building on any given day.“
The Miller Press building will have about 15,000 square after being renovated, which is expected to cost $500,000.
“It was used for a print business, so there is about 3,000 square feet of unfinished cement floors,” said Mattox. “We have to give it a face lift and add more parking. We are renovating for the future as well. We will be going from 8,700 square feet to 12,000 square feet and we will be adding 3,000, so we will have doubled in size.”
Mattox said the renovations should take about a year.
Diantha Grant, executive director of the Alzheimer Association Northeast Florida, which has been in San Marco for 18 years, said lease rates are another reason non-profits avoid downtown. She said rental spaces are small and the lease prices are rising. Non-profits, she said, usually look for donated space or discounted lease rates.
“We used to be in a space donated by South Jacksonville Presbyterian Church. We needed a bigger space and we were fortunate to find a space two doors away and we were able to stay in this area,” said Grant.
“I think it’s a great location,” said Grant about the office, which is located on Mango Place behind Matthew’s restaurant. “We are very fortunate to be close to the San Marco village and can experience all the growth in the areas.”
Grant said parking is not a problem for the organization.
“We share parking with South Jacksonville Presbyterian Church, so parking is not a problem,” said Grant. “We also have a lot of street parking; we can usually accommodate about 20 people at at time.”