Developer Ryan Companies US Inc. filed construction and site plans Tuesday with the city’s Planning and Development Department for JEA’s proposed $72.2 million Downtown headquarters.
The plans created by project architect Kimley-Horn and Associates Inc. show two, nine-story structures — a 150-foot-tall corporate office tower and a 110-foot-tall parking garage at 325 W. Adams St.
The office tower will have 200,000 square feet of space. The 313,000-square-foot garage will comprise 10 parking levels with 899 spaces.
The headquarters will sit on one city block, bounded by Adams, Monroe, Pearl and Julia streets adjacent to the Duval County Courthouse.
JEA will lease the building from Ryan after it’s completed. The city sold the 1.54-acre property to Ryan on June 25 for $2.6 million.
The office and parking structures’ combined footprint will be 57,725 square foot, covering 86% of the lot.
The Downtown Development Review Board granted the design preliminary approval Sept. 19. Ryan representative Cyndy Trimmer of Driver, McAfee, Hawthorne & Diebenow told DDRB members the 8,500-square-foot retail component facing North Julia Street would feature services that cater to JEA employees such as a credit union or a fitness center. No retail tenants have been announced.
The headquarters also will have a rooftop terrace and a 4,900-square-foot urban open space as part of the ground-level streetscape improvements.
The parking garage could feature a mural on its facade, Trimmer said.
The DDRB will need to issue final project approval before Ryan can break ground, which is expected by Dec. 31. The board’s next meeting is scheduled Oct. 10.
As Ryan moves closer to final design approval, JEA’s need for a Downtown headquarters is uncertain. Ryan gives JEA management until Oct. 23 to decide whether to opt out of its lease agreement as the public utility’s board considers a possible sale or path to privatization. The lease originally gave JEA until Sept. 30 to commit to the headquarters.