Daily Record FINANCIAL NEWS &
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2017
Vol. 104, No. 059 • oNe SectioN
35¢ www.jaxdailyrecord.com
With the area fenced and demolition soon to begin, owners of the vacant St. Johns Village retail site in Avondale hope to start building new apartments this spring. Interior demolition has begun at the next-door 16-story Commander Apartments, which will be renovated as part of the 5.8acre development at St. Johns Avenue and Herschel Street. Developer Chance Partners LLC founder Judd Bobilin said Thursday that demolition of the retail center could start in midFebruary and take about two months. Construction could start by
early summer for the 140 units at 4000 St. Johns Ave. Bobilin said the project comprises two four-story buildings, two carriage houses of two units each and two townhome buildings of two units each. There also will be an on-site garage. The four-story buildings comprise 132 units. LandSouth Construction is the contractor.
HRO bill may be left up to voters
The Commander, at 3946 St. Johns Ave., is being renovated from 90 units into 88, creating a 228-apartment project. That contractor is Midway Services Inc. Bobilin said the property will be rebranded, but no name has been chosen. Pegasus Residential will manage it. The Commander property should be renovated no later than April 2018 followed by the new construction no later than July 2018, he said. Rents have not been determined. The Commander, built in 1961, MATHIS CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
Special to the Daily Record
St. Johns Village to rise in Avondale
A conceptual site plan for St. Johns Village, which will be rebranded.
Relocation, expansion for Grace ‘ makes sense
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By Marilyn Young, Editor
Council members discuss legislation’s unclear language When the speaker cards were counted after City Council’s Jan. 21 public hearing on the proposed human rights ordinance, the tally was about 2-to-1 in favor of the bill. At a meeting of seven council members Thursday, the tone was more about questions, including whether the language of the bill should be amended and if council should let voters decide whether to add protection for the LGBTQ community to the city’s anti-discrimination law. Council member Bill Gulliford said he called the meeting to allow for an objective discussion. “I’m not interested in emotional comments or arguments. We’ve already had enough emotion,” he said, referring to the some of the comments made until midnight Jan. 21 and on Jan. 22, when council reconvened to allow everyone who filled out a speaker card to have their three minutes at the podium. Council member Danny Becton said what troubles him Gulliford most about the bill is while its text is considerably shorter than the anti-discrimination ordinance that was defeated in 2012 — from 40 pages to five pages — it’s essentially the same legislation. “The public thinks this bill is new and simplified,” he said. “We’re dealing with the exact same bill. It’s being marketed as something that it’s not.” Council Vice President John Crescimbeni said he’s concerned that while the legislation would exempt religious organizations from following the regulations, what constitutes a religious organization isn’t HRO
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Photo courtesy of Hoar Construction
By Max Marbut, Staff Writer
Busy first day at new commissary There were long lines on opening day of the new commissary at Naval Air Station Jacksonville on Thursday. The 116,000-square-foot facility serves active military personnel, retirees and their families. Hoar Construction was the general contractor for the project, as well as renovations to Navy Air Station Exchange and parking expansion.
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When Grace Aerospace was considering moving its manufacturing operations from New York, Jacksonville was a logical place for a couple of reasons. First, it put the company closer to its Navy customers, many of whom are at Cecil Commerce Center and Naval Air Station Jacksonville, said Jennifer Connolly, the company’s director of business development. Second, City Council approved a $332,500 incentives package for the company to relocate those operations from Long Island, N.Y., to a facility near Cecil Commerce Center. The incentives legislation requires Grace to create 25 jobs with an average salary of $50,675 by Dec. 31, 2019. Executives with Grace Aerospace were in Jacksonville on Thursday to announce the relocation and the expansion of its local operations. Grace has been in Jacksonville for a couple of years in a small building that serves as a place for customers to review what the company was building. The production facility will be expanded by more than 15,000 square feet. Connolly said the expansion allows Grace Aerospace to not only manufacture electrical components but also metal and structural ones. She said the company needs several types of employees, from skilled technicians to structural and mechanical engineers. Pay could range from $15 an hour to $60,000-$70,000 a year. Connolly said the city’s “phenomenal” workforce also was a major factor in the relocation. Retired government and active Navy personnel have a wealth of knowledge about the legacy aircraft company supports, such as F-18s and P3s. Grace Aerospace’s modern work includes 3-D technology and the company has been approached about unmanned aircraft, Connolly said. Company president Stephen Carlo said in a news release the move to Jacksonville “just makes sense.” “Locating all our capabilities here in JAX – from engineering to manufacturing, and electrical to structural — allows us to be more accessible and responsive to design changes and often time-sensitive requirements without compromising schedule,” he said.
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