from Staff
The east end of Bay Street is bustling as of late as LandMar progresses on preliminary work for what will become the nearly $1 billion Shipyards development project, a mixed-use community with a heavy emphasis on public space and access.
Cranes, barges and dozens of workers are spread across the 40-acre site running along the Northbank. LandMar recently submitted to the city its latest quarterly progress report that shows roughly $5.9 million in work has been completed on the $38 million portion to construct public infrastructure.
A majority of the current work involves public improvements to the space and what will become much of the public space associated with the multi-year project. Currently, the bulkheads are being fortified through both demolition and excavation. A bulkhead drainage system is also being installed.
According to the report submitted by LandMar vice president/project manager Robert Furlong, there are six bulkhead walls that must be refurbished before the public Riverwalk can be extended from Berkman Plaza through the Shipyards to Metropolitan Park. Overall, both phases of the Riverwalk project will cost $38 million.
The first phase of construction includes four mixed-use towers on the property west of Hogan’s Creek that will include 1, 2 and 3-bedroom units starting in the $300,000s and going into the millions. The development will also have restaurants, shops, a fitness center and spa, tennis courts and a marina. A 700-foot park called “Pier Park” will extend into the St. Johns River and will be publicly accessible.
In February, Doyle said the first tower — which will consist of 38 floors and 331 residential units with six floors of amenities and retail space — will be done in October of 2010.
“This will be the jewel,” said Ed Burr, LandMar’s president and CEO when the company went public with its plans. “It is not often that a developer has the opportunity to bring a unique project to a downtown area. This will be part of Downtown; we have far exceeded the requirements to provide public spaces, so it will have the community feel that we wanted.”
The report indicates that phase one should be complete by this time in 2010. Phase two will then commence and be complete by July 2013.
“First thing, the bulkhead has to be done,” said Jim Doyle, LandMar vice president of marketing and sales, earlier this year. “It’s a major project. It’s like a road — it’s beautiful on top when it’s done, but all the real work is underneath.”
The 40-acre project represents one unique to LandMar, which specializes in full-amenity communities across Florida and Southeast Georgia, often with an emphasis on golf. LandMar is best known for its golf course communities including North Hampton in Nassau County, South Hampton in St. Johns County and four in Palm Coast. Closely aligned with Duke Energy, Burr and his staff have built a string of successful developments throughout the state.
In March, Doyle said the project was well ahead of schedule and will finish within the time frame approved by the city. Although having 40 contiguous acres on the river is rare, Doyle said the Shipyards is more similar to other LandMar communities than most might think.
“This is a master-planned community on the river,” he said. “There are very few of those in the state and we have one. We are approaching this like any other master-planned community. There will be amenities and residential buildings, but those neighborhoods will be vertical.”
While there won’t be an 18-hole golf course, Doyle said there will be a huge putting green on the property and anyone who buys into the Shipyards’ “inner circle” program will get a golf perk — their initiation fee to the North Hampton community will be waived.