by Bradley Parsons
Staff Writer
Developers for the Strand and Peninsula expect to start construction on the residential project’s first phase in two to three months.
American Land Ventures president Granville Tracy told the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission Thursday that he expects to break ground on the 27-story Strand within 90 days. The building will offer one, two and three bedroom rental apartments.
Construction on the 37-story Peninsula should follow within six months, Tracy said. Renderings depict luxury, for-sale condos interspersed with recreational facilities and a club area.
Tracy said he’d received $80 million in reservations for the Peninsula and would start construction when “we start converting reservations to sales.”
Tracy said the building’s lobby area would rival some of downtown’s high-end hotels, offering 24-hour concierge service, a coffee shop, a business center equipped with wireless Internet and 24-hour valet parking available for the garage.
Tracy said he was negotiating with the Auchter Company to lead construction on the Strand. Auchter Company [president] Brad Glass, a JEDC commissioner, commended ALV for hiring locally.
“I think it’s a great example of an out-of-town builder with a great reputation coming in here and putting all the money here,” said Glass.