The abandoned, partially built Sax Seafood & Grill building in Downtown Jacksonville is in the crosshairs for demolition after a July 15 vote by the Downtown Investment Authority board.
The board voted 7-0 to spend up to $75,000 to raze the building at 816 W. Union St., where for 18 years it has stood as an eyesore at a main entry point to Downtown off of Interstate 95. Board members Cameron Hooper and Trevor Lee were absent.
In 2003, the city partnered with the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission and Jax Casual Dining LLC to develop the restaurant on 1.77 acres of city-owned property.
A DIA staff report said Sax Seafood & Grill was planned as a 6,089-square-foot jazz-themed restaurant and “was envisioned as a catalyst for development within LaVilla.”
The report said that after the developer invested $1.8 million in the restaurant, the project halted during the recession. The city reclaimed the property in 2008 and has owned it since.
“We’ve tried multiple times to find someone who’d like to work with it, and it hasn’t come to fruition,” Wade McArthur III, property disposition manager, told the board. “Throughout this time, it’s been a target for vandalism and vagrants.”
McArthur said DIA staff sought the demolition to address the nuisance and improve public safety but also “with an eye toward future development.”
The board approved the demolition without comment.
DIA will pay for the demolition from its own budget. The funding and demolition do not require Jacksonville City Council approval.
In other news, the board voted 7-0 to name Micah Heavener as board chair, Scott Wohlers as vice chair and John Hirabayashi as secretary.