by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
It is looking more and more like River Region Human Services will get its hands on the old Job Corps building in Springfield. It also is apparent the City of Jacksonville is sticking to its guns in its refusal to ever allow River Region to use the building as an adult drug rehabilitation facility.
The building is currently owned by the federal government and is being administered by the General Services Administration arm of the federal government. It is GSA’s intention — through the Department of Health and Human Services — to convey the building once River Region has successfully completed the application process.
The issue is not that River Region is apparently going to get the building, it’s that the City has no intention of ever allowing River Region to use their building — which is in a residential area of Springfield that is being revitalized — as a drug rehab facility.
Brad Thoburn, the City’s chief of state and federal affairs, has said repeatedly that River Region’s intended use of the building does not comply with the land use or zoning restrictions.
“The issues we have raised have to be addressed by HHS,” said Thoburn. “There is a way to get around all of this and that is for River Region to lease the building. If River Region owns the building, we will just shut them down.”
The City’s stance is falling on deaf ears.
John Hicks, the chief of space management branch of HHS, said the federal government can supersede local land use and zoning laws where it sees fit. He likened the issue to the City trying to tell the Navy what it can and can’t do with its property in the area. He then referred all other inquiries to Bill Hall and Christina Pierce of HHS’s media relations department, neither of whom could be reached for comment.
In the Dec. 23 letter, Hicks said, “In our letter to your office on September 26, 2005, we also advised that upon completion of our due diligence activities, the General Services Administration must immediately assign the property to HHS for subsequent conveyance to RRHS to assist the homeless unless RRHS withdraws their application. To our knowledge, RRHS has not withdrawn their application; therefore, we will proceed with assigning the property to RRHS upon completion of the due diligence activities.”
The issue with the building has been going on for nearly a year and has Springfield residents and developers on edge as the mayor’s office and City Council have received numerous letters asking the City to prevent River Region from moving into the neighborhood.
The Springfield Preservation and Restoration group has been focusing on the issue for months. Even Mayor John Peyton has gotten involved. In a Dec. 19 letter to Lori Dennis, chief of the southern branch of the Property Disposal Division of the GSA, Peyton explained that even if HHS conveyed the property to River Region and tried to circumvent local land use laws, the City would do everything possible to prevent the proposed use.
Thoburn reiterated that stance.
“It is our opinion that they (GSA) are applying a federal statute incorrectly,” said Thoburn. “As part of the process, the applicant has to validate that they are in compliance with the local zoning laws. That simply hasn’t happened.”
Both Peyton and Thoburn have stressed that the intent isn’t to hurt River Region, but rather comply with the current land use and zoning laws in the Springfield area.
“If they (River Region) can get another location, then we are willing to help them financially. We have set aside $300,000 from a community development block grant to help them buy and renovate a building somewhere else,” said Thoburn. “Finding a location and finding the rest of the financing is still the challenge.
“We haven’t talked to HHS yet and until we get a response from them, we are not sure what is going to happen.”