by Liz Daube
Staff Writer
If Jacksonville is “Where Florida Begins” then the folks associated with Riverside Avenue Partners want the Brooklyn area to be known as the “Gateway to Jacksonville.”
The group is developing the 210,000 square feet of office and retail space in the new building at 501 Riverside Ave. on the corner of Forest Street and several big-name companies are planning to move in.
“We see the Brooklyn area as an ideal opportunity for a fairly short-term development area,” said M.C. “Ceree” Harden, of Harden & Associates, one of the building’s investors and future tenants. “One of the key motivators for us in developing this property was the opportunity to contribute to the renaissance of the Downtown area.”
The building will join a list of several new commercial structures near the Brooklyn area, a once-barren stretch of land between Downtown and Riverside. Harden, who is also chairman of the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission, called the building’s location the “Gateway to Downtown,” explaining that the close proximity to the Downtown business district and Interstates 95 and 10 make the area ideal for both commercial and residential growth.
“This is an excellent opportunity to be on the ground floor of something that will be very big,” said Tim Volpe, an attorney who’s law firm has joined the building’s development group. “We saw this as a natural opportunity for our firms to play a role in the projects in this area.”
With Harden leading the way, several professional/financial service companies and law firms formed Riverside Avenue Partners a few years ago to secure a new office space near the Downtown business area. Members include Harden & Associates, The LBA Group, Folco Development Corp. and Rock Creek Capital, along with law firms Peek, Cobb & Edwards; Volpe, Bajalia, Wickes, Rogerson, Galloway & Wachs; and Fisher, Tousey, Leas & Ball.
Karen Nasrallah, redevelopment coordinator for the JEDC, said any kind of growth in the Brooklyn area is a step in the right direction.
“It will help us build momentum,” said Nasrallah, explaining that each new business draws more into the surrounding space.
All of the Riverside Avenue Partners plan to relocate their offices to the new building early next year. EverBank will be the largest tenant of the building, which should be completed in December.