High-profile Southbank riverfront land slated for apartments is being designed to minimize the look of the site’s most recent purpose — parking — and provide public access to the Riverwalk.
The roped-off lot, grass and a fireplace are about all that exist on the almost 3.5-acre parcel along Prudential Drive between the Lexington Hotel & Conference Center Jacksonville Riverwalk and the Duval County School Board building.
That is expected to change.
The proposed Broadstone River House will fill out the site with multistory apartments fronting both Prudential Drive and the St. Johns River, concealing the parking deck in the center.
Alliance Residential Co. Vice President Tim Graff said Monday the company is refining the plans and wants to take those to the Downtown Investment Authority in November for approval.
Graff said Phoenix-based Alliance Residential is working on rezoning the property. It has not filed a request yet.
If the site plans and permits are approved, Graff said Monday that Alliance Residential would like to start construction at the end of the first quarter or early second quarter 2016.
Completion would be by early 2018.
Alliance Residential wants to develop 255 to 265 one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments at the site of the former Crawdaddy’s Restaurant. Alliance Realty Partners LLC of Winter Park applied in late August for a mobility fee calculation certificate from the city.
An architectural site plan filed with the application shows apartments fronting Prudential Drive, with an amenity center behind them.
Another group of apartments fronts the Jacksonville Riverwalk on the riverfront, with a pool and courtyard that offers a river view.
In between, and lined with apartments on the west side next to the Lexington, is the parking area.
Graff said the apartment buildings are envisioned as five stories along Prudential Drive and six stories along the riverfront..
He said a six-level, 489-space parking deck, whose floors are not as high as residential floors, will serve the complex.
Designs could provide for river views for most of the units. Renderings are not available.
“That is our intent, to provide the view of the river and the Downtown skyline,” he said.
Sidewalks would connect Prudential Drive to the Riverwalk on both sides of the apartments. The western connection could feature a hardscape, fountain and public art, Graff said.
City Council Vice President Lori Boyer said she met with the developers and saw the preliminary concept plans. Boyer, who represents District 5 that now includes the Southbank, said she encouraged greater public access to the Riverwalk and that developers talked about creating a feature that would provide additional public access.
The mobility fee calculation certificate, signed Aug. 31, shows a fee of $142,973.
The city’s mobility fee is the cost for a new development based upon the link between land development and transportation. The certificates generally are valid for a year.
The fee takes into account the traffic that was generated and allowed for the 12,000-square-foot Crawdaddy’s, which was demolished in 2004.
Graff doesn’t know why the fireplace remains or why it survived the demolition. The parking is roped off. Graff said there is a parking lease on the lot but it will end when the sale is completed.
Broadstone River House is a significant change for the property and is another link in efforts to redevelop vacant property on the Southbank to bring dwellers Downtown.
Nearby, developers Peter Rummell and Mike Balanky are working to redevelop the almost 27-acre former JEA site into what is temporarily called Healthy Town. It is designed for 500 apartments and condominiums, 200 hotel rooms, 200,000 square feet of office space and more than 94,000 square feet of retail and commercial space.
The DIA’s master plan targets the Southbank for multifamily residential, fine-dining restaurants, office and community-oriented retail, active uses along the waterfront, a pedestrian link to Riverplace Boulevard and the Southbank Riverwalk, and public access to the waterfront.
Alliance Residential is working with Dwell Design Studio of Alpharetta, Ga. Connelly & Wicker Inc. is the civil engineer.
Alliance Residential is one of the largest private apartment developers in the country with several Florida properties. It develops under the Broadstone banner and already operates the Broadstone Beach House apartments in Jacksonville Beach.
Graff said the group is asking DIA to help expedite entitlements to start the project sooner rather than later. He said Alliance Residential does not anticipate asking for incentives.
DIA Executive Director Aundra Wallace said Monday that Alliance Residential filed the mobility fee calculation application to see what the cost would be as part of its due diligence.
“We are still working with them,” he said.
Alliance Residential has contracted to buy part of 10.85 acres around the Lexington Hotel for $6.5 million. That property has been tied up in the bankruptcy reorganization of its owner, Riverwalk Jacksonville Development LLC of Miami.
A disclosure statement filed with an amended bankruptcy reorganization plan in July states that the property sale won’t be completed until all governmental approvals, including site plan approval, are obtained in connection with the development.
The closing date is anticipated by April, according to the statement. The reorganization petition was filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Southern District of Florida Miami Division.
Macquarie to lease at Riverplace Tower
Macquarie Group announced Monday it will locate its Jacksonville global-banking shared-services office in Riverplace Tower on the Downtown Southbank at 1301 Riverplace Blvd.
The company will lease 17,500 square feet of space on the fifth floor and take occupancy early next year.
The city is reviewing a permit application for Brasfield & Gorrie LLC to demolish space on the fifth floor to prepare for the Macquarie renovations. The demolition job cost is $50,000.
Macquarie, based in Australia, announced July 30 it would establish a Global Finance Services center Downtown.
It has begun to recruit for employees and initially will hire for more than 85 accounting, finance and tax positions.
Macquarie said it will recruit for finance roles, including positions in financial control, product control, tax reporting, regulatory reporting and legal entity control activities.
The company will create at least 123 jobs by the end of 2017. It expects a total investment of at least $3.1 million, including IT, equipment, furniture and real estate improvements.
Candidates can visit macquarie.com/jax.
Macquarie sought almost $1.77 million in city and state incentives for the Jacksonville operation. City Council approved taxpayer incentives in July of $393,600 for Macquarie and the state is responsible for the remainder.
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