by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
Mark Middlebrook, executive director of Preservation Project Jacksonville, will lead a tour Monday afternoon of one of Jacksonville’s best kept secrets.
He’ll guide members of the media and other City officials through 548 acres of land known as Pumpkin Hill. Along for the ride will be several members of City Council, Middlebrook’s guests of honor.
In Pumpkin Hill, the group will see what Middlebrook calls “one of the last remnants of old Florida” replete with rare and endangered birds, breathtaking scenery and miles of virgin land. Middlebrook hopes the tour will convince City Council to approve $7,950,000 to purchase the tract from Gerri Betz-Jackson, Pumpkin Hill’s owner, who has actually received a better offer for the land from a developer who wants to turn it into the Northside’s premier, low-density housing development.
Pumpkin Hill isn’t the first, biggest or last item on Mayor John Delaney’s Preservation list that now includes 33,000 acres, costing about $115 million. But it may be the most coveted.
“In terms of acreage, it’s sort of in the middle,” said Middlebrook. “In terms of priority, it’s near the top. If it wasn’t at the top when we started, it was in the top three.”
Pumpkin Hill is located just west of Black Hammock Island and is at the confluence of Edwards Creek and Pumpkin Hill Creek. Amelia Island, the St. Johns River, the Nassau River and the Intracoastal Waterway are all accessible by boat and much of the land is traversable by foot. Middlebrook points out that part of Pumpkin Hill’s allure is it’s relatively close to the city but almost primal in natural amenities. Little more than a canoe or two has tainted the land.
“It has breathtaking scenery that’s quite remarkable to be in a city,” said Middlebrook.
Middlebrook and Delaney aren’t the only ones ogling Pumpkin Hill. Safa Mansouri, the developer of Tiffany by The Sea, has also approached Betz-Jackson about the property and has offered the owner over $1 million more for the property. Mansouri has also made the City an interesting counter offer —he will immediately sell the City over 180 acres of land that will never be developed. And he will pay the City $10,000 for each of his proposed 220 lots sold and developed, providing instant income and ad valorem taxes for years to come. All of this in exchange for permitting and infrastructure help.
Middlebrook said Mansouri’s offer, on the surface, is mildly appealing. But after meeting with Mansouri and his attorneys, Delaney chose to pursue the entire 548 acres as preservation land.
“He met with them for about and hour,” said Middlebrook. “He reviewed the proposal and gave it serious consideration. But he didn’t see anything in their proposal to make him change his mind.”
(Middlebrook did say that if a developer would come up with a similar proposal for the Southside, such a development would be greeted warmly.)
The property owners admit they have a dilemma. Financially, the developer is offering $1 million more and that’s hard to turn down. At the same time, allowing the City to buy the land assures it will remain publicly accessible.
“Speaking for mother [Ms. Betz-Jackson], I think there is a concern that we do not have upscale residences in north Jacksonville,” said T. Baker, the daughter of Betz-Jackson. “That’s important to a number of people. At the same time, if the City purchases the property it will be available to the public and that’s a good thing. That’s something very important to mother. In other words, we don’t want to see them buy it and fence it off. That doesn’t appear to be what they [the City] plan to do.”
Baker said the developer has been very persistent and admits that turning down a lot more money hasn’t been easy.
“Whatever way it goes, if the City buys it, the shareholders will support that,” she said. “If the City can’t buy it, it appears that the developer plans to do some nice homes on large lots.”
Not if Middlebrook convinces City Council to approve the funding, all of which will come from the City. In the past, several other tracts have been bought with funding from the City, State and Federal government. But not this time.
“We did that on purpose,” said Middlebrook. “When you are using other people’s money, you are subject to their regulations. This time, the owner wanted to move in a fairly expeditious period. I think it’s the most critical piece [of property] and it’s the last essential piece.”