by Bradley Parsons
Staff Writer
Before the City Council approves $2.4 million in development incentives headed for the Southside, City Council member Lad Daniels wants to make sure the impact is felt citywide.
The Council will vote next week on the incentive package for PHH Mortgage. The deal would use State and City money to help finance a $14.5 million expansion, and the firm would use the money to partner with Liberty Property Trust to build a 150,000 square-foot headquarters at a Butler Boulevard office park. The expansion would add 600 jobs, each paying about $50,000 a year.
At this week’s Finance Committee meeting, Daniels asked to see a breakdown of where PHH’s employees live before the Tuesday vote. Although they get their paychecks on the Southside, Daniels said he wanted to see where those workers were spending their
money.
“This is the first time we’ve moved away from the Northwest with our incentives,” said Daniels. “Regardless of the location of the incentives, I’d like to see that the impact of the jobs they create is spread throughout the City.”
Daniels won’t be disappointed when he reviews PHH’s workforce profile, said Arlene Wilson, the firm’s director of facilities and administration. She said the firm’s workforce of 1,050 people is spread throughout Duval, Nassau and St. Johns counties and expects the same from the new positions.
By promising to create high-wage jobs, PHH qualified for a qualified targeted industry incentive package. The State program gives tax refunds on capital investment when the development results in desirable jobs. The program has become a favorite at the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission because the grants are 80 percent paid for by the State.
But the location of the expansion represents a departure from the JEDC’s old policies, which restricted incentives to areas north and west of the river.
The new policies take location into account, but they evaluate projects on an individual basis. PHH’s Southside location worked against the firm when it pursued other City incentives, said JEDC project manager Joe Whitaker.
“It’s hard to justify incentives for
an area that’s growing without any help,” he said.