by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
The City is starting to get serious about finding a new home for its offices in the old City Hall Annex building on East Bay Street. According to Mayor John Delaney, the City’s sights have been set on the old Haverty’s Furniture building at the corner of Laura and Duval streets, just east of the St. James Building.
“We are actively negotiating to buy the old Haverty’s or YMCA building to use as a City Hall Annex,” said Delaney Wednesday morning at a Downtown Vision, Inc. meeting.
There has been speculation for some time that City officials would eventually consolidate its offices geographically. When the St. James Building was renovated into the new City Hall seven years ago, many municipal offices moved from Bay Street to the new facility adjacent to Hemming Plaza. However, many departments were left at the City Hall Annex, including Public Works, the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission, the Downtown Development Authority, the Information Technology Division, building permitting and zoning and much of the Better Jacksonville Plan staff.
Chief Administrative Officer Sam Mousa confirmed the City was negotiating with the building’s owner — P.A. Browning of Atlanta-based Striton Realty.
“We are talking to the owner, but we’re not sure we’ll get very far,” said Mousa. “The owner has other desires for the building than just selling it. He wants to build it out and sell it to us on a lease-purchase basis. We want to buy it. The owner believes it is in his best interest to invest in the building, bring it up to code, spruce it up and lease it to us. We’d like to purchase it and nothing is off the table.”
Mousa said Browning is convinced he can apply for historic tax credits for the Henry Klutho-designed building and doesn’t want to sell it outright to the City. Mousa said Delaney and other City officials firmly believe the four-story building should be added to the City’s coffers, renovated and used for City offices. If Browning won’t sell, the City may opt for a last resort.
“If it gets severe enough, we may condemn the building,” said Mousa. “We are not set on that, but we are considering it. It needs to be in government hands and it’s right next door to City Hall.”
Mousa said Delaney would like to resolve the matter soon, and as easily, as possible. But gaining control of the building before Delaney leaves office next summer may not be possible. Whether the City condemns the building or Browning eventually sells, the process will take several months. Still, Mousa said City officials are always considering downtown sites that would help consolidate municipal offices.
“We are always on the lookout for downtown buildings close to City Hall and historical buildings to buy for City use. We are doing all we can to look to the future,” said Mousa, adding there is no way all the City departments in the Annex would fit in the Haverty’s building.
The Annex also houses the State Attorney’s Office, which will relocate to space in the new county courthouse complex when it’s finished in late 2005. Additionally, the entire county courthouse system will relocate and, with the addition of the Adam’s Mark Hotel and Berkman Plaza, that stretch of East Bay Street — with several acres of prime riverfront property — figures to become one of downtown’s next premier development areas.