by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
An urban renewal project that has been talked about for more than five years has finally begun with the demolition of the Park View Inn.
It’s more “disassembly” than “demolition,” said Rob Vergnolle, project manager for the removal of the structure.
“It’s basically a metal structure encased in concrete. We’ll be able to recycle 95 percent of it,” he said.
Originally the “Heart of Jacksonville Motor Hotel,” the property was at one time one of the city’s premier lodging destinations. It has been vacant since 2003, occupied only by transients and vandals.
In June 2006, property owner Robert van Winkel and Stephen Klee, a rental property developer from Atlanta, met with City Chief Administrative Officer Kerri Stewart, who at the time was the director of the Housing and Neighborhoods Department.
They presented a proposal to convert the old hotel into housing for students, staff and faculty at Florida State College at Jacksonville.
Stewart said the City was “in a position to assist the project.”
“This can be a win for both of us. The developer gets a profitable venture and the city gets workforce housing,” she said.
Then came the collapse of the real estate market and the recession.
The 2011 plan, funded with a $300,000 Community Development Block Grant, is to partially demolish the building in preparation for redevelopment. The CDBG is federal money allocated to the City for redevelopment projects.
Vergnolle said all but the first floor will be removed to preserve the original parking garage.
In the meantime, he said, van Winkle has retained Prime Realty Co. to negotiate leases with “national retailers” and banks to redevelop the property.
Vergnolle said if the site is not redeveloped, the CDBG must be reimbursed to the City.
He described the demolition and recycling of floors 2-5 as “Phase 1” and estimated it would take about 45 days to complete.
“Probably not much will happen after that for at least a year,” said Vergnolle, who predicted there won’t be any “grand opening” ceremonies at the site for at least 3-5 years.
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