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Daily Record Financial News &

Thursday, January 18, 2018

Vol. 105, No. 044 • One Section

35¢ www.jaxdailyrecord.com

A NEW JACKSONVILLE CONVENTION CENTER

IS DOWNTOWN READY?

How a Downtown convention center could stack up If Jacksonville builds a 200,000-square-foot convention center, how would it stack up against potential rivals? Here’s a look at five with comments from a 2017 study by the Strategic Advisory Group:

The Downtown Investment Authority is seeking proposals for a convention center for the area to the right of the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront hotel. Photo by Monty Zickuhr

City

Name

Square feet Positive

Orlando

Orange County 2.05M Convention Center

Tampa Tampa Convention Center 600,000

Feasibility study says convention planners aren’t interested until Downtown further redevelops. By Andrew Warfield Associate Editor Which comes first, a convention center or a reason to have one? The Downtown Investment Authority is seeking proposals for a convention center, hotel and parking garage at the Downtown East Bay Street site of the old City Hall Annex, courthouse and a parking lot. The DIA cites the New Convention Center Feasibility Analysis Update prepared by Strategic Advisory Group as the basis for its proposal. “The DIA commissioned a convention center study, which was completed in June 2017, and which generally support the City/DIA pursuing development of a convention center, hotel and parking garage to complement the other development in Downtown Jacksonville,” reads the resolution inviting proposals. The SAG study supports the concept of a Downtown convention center, but as a key component in planning for overall redevelopment. The report concludes that until Downtown becomes a destination that can attract conventions, it is not ready for a new convention center. SAG conducted interviews and surveys Convention

Public

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Birmingham, Alabama

Great destination, Distracting location, variety of activities attendees lose interest Great small city, Some hotels out accessible activities of walking distance

Birmingham-Jefferson 320,000 Affordable Convention Complex

Daytona Beach Ocean Center 178,000 Savannah, Georgia

Negative

Family friendly, effective layout

Savannah International 100,000 Great small city Trade & Convention Center

Lacks downtown experiences. Low appeal Access an issue. Center getting dated Convention center inaccessible, high price

DIA votes unanimously to seek ‘darn good’ bids “This is a test of the market,” DIA CEO Aundra Wallace says.

former City Hall Annex and Duval County Courthouse building and parking lot along East Bay Street for development of a convention center, hotel and parking

By David Cawton Staff Writer

Wallace

The Downtown Investment Authority will move forward with soliciting bids to dispose of the

garage. DIA voted 6-0 to approve Resolution 2018-01-01.

“I’m going to be candid with you, this is a test of the market,” said DIA CEO Aundra Wallace to the board Wednesday. “I think it’s a good time for us to do so.” After the meeting, Wallace said he made a “business decision” to begin considering the idea of a new convention center as opposed to it being initiated by the mayor’s office. DIA

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Courthouse implosion may signal development explosion

More than a dozen projects are underway in the city’s urban core with more on horizon. 7

There it was on City Council Vice President Aaron Bowman’s PowerPoint: “Courthouse implosion.” That commanded the attention of the Southside Business Men’s Club members last week as Bowman listed the action in his Downtown wrap-up for “2018 Economic Development.” “I think we will, sometime, maybe this year, maybe next year, we will watch a building come down,” said Bowman, also senior vice president

Published

for

of business development for JAXUSA Partnership, the economic development division of JAX Chamber. It’s been a while since an implosion Downtown. Some of us recall June 26, 2003, when the 43-year-old Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Coliseum collapsed in 10 seconds with the help of 275 pounds of explosives — 410 sticks of dynamite, according to an Associated Press report. It cost

27,364

Mathis

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