by Bailey White
Staff Writer
The new year promises to be big for The Shipyards project on Bay Street. With construction scheduled to begin next week on One Shipyard Place, the 100-unit condominium building, the site will be practically transformed by next New Year’s Eve.
“By this time next year, I suspect that One Shipyard Place will look like a building,” said Ham Traylor, president of TriLegacy Group, the company developing the project. “Most of the framework should be completed, though there will still be work to do on the interior.”
Traylor said that another visible change will be the vegetation on the eastern side of the property.
“On the eastern side you’ll see a substantial completion of major Riverwalk elements, walkways will be done and there will be a lot of vegetation and trees,” he said.
The changes taking place in the next few months, however, won’t be the kind that get noticed by a quick drive-by of the property. The developers have a lot of work to do before they can begin the foundation work for One Shipyard Place.
“They have to peel back the old slab and remove that and the 1,400 or so pilings underground,” said Traylor. “So, it will probably be another four to six months before vertical construction begins.”
In the meantime, surface work on the property will increase its aesthetic appeal.
“In the next few months it will look a lot neater and cleaner. Towards the spring and summer we’ll try to have a couple sections of the park done, too,” said Traylor.
In addition to the public park work, Traylor said they’ll soon make more plans for the marina and the bulkhead work.
The bulkhead on the eastern side of the property is “about 30 days away from being complete,” said Traylor, adding that work on the western side will hopefully begin in January. “We’re awaiting a permit from the Army Corps of Engineers and have indication that it’s coming soon.”
Another element to be addressed is the relaunching of the marketing campaign. Traylor said the great Jacksonville weather is sure to attract people from the Northeast and Northwest to invest in the area.
“We’ll resume advertising and showcasing Jacksonville,” he said. “The whole area is being transformed with the success of Berkman and the progress of the 11 E. lofts, the ball park and the arena, and I think it will renew interest in the project.”