Daily Record FINANCIAL NEWS &
WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, 2018
VOL. 105, NO. 137 • ONE SECTION
LANDING BATTLE ESCALATES
35¢ www.jaxdailyrecord.com
Chick-fil-A to remodel Tinseltown location Atlanta-based chain to shut store for four weeks; additional area renovations planned.
THE LANDING
Rouse-Jacksonville Inc. sold the Landing’s buildings to a subsidary of Sleiman Enterprises Inc. for $5.3 million in 2003. The city maintained ownership of the land. The company that operates the Landing is led by Toney Sleiman, a North Florida strip mall and shopping center developer.
Photo by Monty Zickuhr
The city’s move to terminate the lease with the Sleiman Enterprises subsidary that operates the Landing is just the latest chapter in a series of disputes involving the Downtown landmark.
By David Cawton Staff Writer After a weekend of accusations and legal filings between the city of Jacksonville and the owners of the Jacksonville Landing, much still is unknown about the future of the Downtown riverfront mall. The Office of General Counsel on Friday informed Jacksonville Landing Investments LLC, which operates the Landing, that it is terminating the 1985
lease agreement in reaction to the company allegedly breaking terms of the contract. The city owns the land beneath the 31-year-old mall, while JLI owns the buildings as a subsidiary of Sleiman Enterprises Inc. JLI paid Rouse-Jacksonville Inc. $5.3 million for the three buildings comprising the “west parcel” of the site in LANDING
CONTINUED ON
PAGE 4
Chick-fil-A intends to renovate its Tinseltown restaurant as a brand-image remodel — and it will be the first of many. Spokeswoman Callie Bowers said the restaurant will close in early fall for four weeks for the renovation. “It is being remodeled to comply with our current brand image standards and to improve the guest and team member experiences,” she said by email. Bowers said previously the kitchen would be remodeled with the newest design reflecting the highest capacity and a dining room with the newest design. A second drive-thru lane will be added with covered canopies. The $568,000 project will include interior and exterior work, including creating a dualline kitchen and adding another drive-through lane. Interior renovations include flooring, painting and replacing tables and chairs, among other elements. Plans show it offers 128 seats. The almost 4,300-square-foot restaurant was built in 2000 at 4461 Southside Blvd. Amstin LLC of Lutz bought it in 2009 from MATHIS
CONTINUED ON
PAGE 3
Deal could be close on unfinished Berkman II Downtown Choate Construction working to sell property. By Jim Piggott News4Jax Reporter A 23-story partially completed Downtown building could be sold and a deal done by the end of the summer. “That eyesore has to be gone one way or another,” Mayor Lenny Curry said last summer. Berkman Plaza II, the concrete skeleton of a high-rise condominium along the St Johns River that has stood unfinished since the collapse at its parking garage over a decade ago, could see redevelopment if a deal to sell the property goes through in August.
PUBLIC
In December 2007, the parking garage under construction next door at the Berkman Plaza collapsed, killing one construction worker and injuring several others. A lawsuit and other court action caused construction to stop. Choate Construction has owned the property since receiving it as a settlement in a lawsuit against the original owner. Choate CEO Mike Hampton said the company has been actively trying to sell the property ever since and is close to making a deal. Last week, News4Jax spoke with Hampton after he met with Curry to update him on the pending sale. Hampton won’t reveal the name of the buyer or plans for the site. Curry has made cleaning up and developing the site, which is next to
LEGAL NOTICES BEGIN ON PAGE
8
a potential Shipyards development, a priority for his administration. People living at The Plaza Condominium at Berkman Plaza and Marina remain skeptical. “I will believe it when I see it. And, of course, if the new ownership makes progress making some improvements and getting some units sold,” Darryl Patterson said. “I’m waiting for action. Words don’t mean too much.” Other residents, who wouldn’t give their names, told News4Jax that it’s easy for people to climb over the fence and sneak in. They said vagrants live in the structure and rodents are everywhere. News4Jax is a Daily Record media partner.
Photo by Monty Zickuhr
Work stopped on the the Berkman Plaza II in December 2007 after a fatal construction accident.
PUBLISHED
FOR
27,457
CONSECUTIVE BUSINESS DAYS