by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
When it comes to community meetings about changes in and around suburban airports, it’s worth noting when said meetings don’t turn into contentious conflicts. The Craig Airport runway extension controversy and the recent clash between homeowners and the City over Whitehouse Field zoning issues are prime examples.
When it comes to planned improvements and development at Cecil Field on the Westside, however, it’s a different story.
“The community meetings went very well,” reported Cecil Field Senior Director Bob Simpson at a meeting Tuesday with City Council member Ray Holt, whose district includes the former Navy jet base.
Former Council member Alberta Hipps, now a consultant retained by the City to work on the project with the Jacksonville Aviation Authority (JAA), said JAA has been “a wonderful partner on this project. The community said they wanted jobs, but they didn’t want the area to look like Talleyrand (Avenue, part of the Downtown port operation).”
Holt pointed out his constituents also made it clear they want the area around Cecil Filed, which is part of Cecil Commerce Center, to include what he called “a nice shopping area” as part of the master development plan. That’s what Simpson presented as the next step in the development process.
“For the future of Cecil Filed there needs to be an industrial component as well as retail,” he said.
JAA’s plans call for a mixed-use development combining aviation elements, light industrial and warehouses plus retail and office space. The plan Simpson outlined Tuesday showed retail development along Brannen Field Road and 103rd Street with a retail and office space hub at the junction of 103rd Street and Normandy Boulevard.
The master plan also includes protection of wetland areas and a plan for stormwater management.
“When a developer comes to us we have to have a complete package to present to them,” said Simpson.
Of the 17,000 acres that comprise Cecil Commerce Center, JAA owns 6,000 acres which includes the runways and property adjacent to them while the City owns the remainder.
Simpson said the property owned by JAA is “100 percent leased” and that’s why “we’re building a new inventory base” including a hangar for Florida Community College at Jacksonville’s maintenance and aircraft coating facility.
“We’re developing the inventory to meet the demand,” he added. “Companies don’t want a hangar in two years, they want a hangar now.”
John Clark, JAA executive director, said the Aviation Authority is prepared to borrow money to improve its property at Cecil Field.
“We’re financing a couple of hangars because we’re losing developers because we don’t have inventory. We’re planning $160 million in infrastructure improvement in the next four years and the (JAA) board is committed to putting that in place so we can move forward,” said Clark.
He also said the JAA’s board of directors is prepared to “issue debt based on revenues” to build more hangars in order to change the market’s perception of the property.
“The development community has been unsure about the future of Cecil Field. Getting things going will help alleviate that,” said Clark.
Holt said he appreciates the value of the warehouse and distribution components of the master plan for Cecil Field.
“One of my philosophies is we need to pursue light industrial development that will support the port. Light industrial is the way to build the tax base while keeping taxes low for our residents,” said Holt.
Light industrial doesn’t add much requirement for police and fire and it doesn’t put lots of kids into the schools, he said then added Jacksonville is competing with other areas for the distribution jobs that will be created by port expansion.
“We don’t want to lose out to Clay County or Baker County or south Georgia. I don’t want us to get left behind,” said Holt.
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