by J. Brooks Terry
Staff Writer
It’s no secret that JEA has a big parcel of Southbank land for sale. And, according to spokesman for the authority, the time to start bidding is almost here.
JEA representative Nancy Kilgo said large-scale demolition and remediation efforts on the 42-acre property are complete and the bidding process should start between the next four to six weeks.
It’s the property where once the Southside Generating Plant produced power. When the plant became obsolete, it was demolished; today it’s called JEA Park and it’s being prepared for the NFL Experience interactive park for the Super Bowl.
When the Super Bowl is gone, the sale will start in earnest.
“Several developers have already contacted us to get some information about it,” she said. “But we haven’t gotten to the point where we are officially looking at any offers.”
Kilgo would not identify any interested parties and said that an asking price has not yet been determined. She would confirm, however, that the site has been appraised at upwards of $29 million.
“It’s all very preliminary, but we expect to have a formal Request For Purchase put together shortly,” Kilgo said.
Unsure of what the property would be used for, Kilgo said steps are being taken to insure that some public access to the St. Johns River would remain.
“That was recommended to us by a community task force a few years back,” she said. “We do understand that there is a desire for there to be some park elements included in whatever development happens there.”
Oral assurance is nice, but City Council member Suzanne Jenkins said she would prefer to have something in writing.
“That absolutely needs to be outlined in the bid that’s put out,” she said. “We need to nail those details down. If we aren’t careful, we’ll lose all of our leverage there.”
For years Jenkins has said that several acres of JEA land should be set aside for a terminus on the Southbank Riverwalk. If a new landowner were to come in without knowing of those plans, things might get complicated, she said.
“There is an expectation there that needs to be met,” she said. “JEA Park is an excellent location and we have a wonderful opportunity to do something great with it. We owe it to ourselves to not let it slip away.”
Jenkins said she and Council member Art Shad may work together to insure park aspects are included in the JEA bid.