Demolition approved for The Jacksonville Landing

The Jacksonville Landing is cleared for demolition.

The city Building Inspection Division issued a permit Monday for D.H. Griffin Wrecking Co. Inc. to take down the closed Downtown retail marketplace at a cost of $1,074,002.

D.H. Griffin will raze the two-story, 178,838-square-foot structure built 32 years ago at 2 Independent Drive W. on the Northbank of the St. Johns River.

James Croft, city assistant director of public affairs, said in an email Tuesday that interior demolition has been underway for more than a month and that exterior demolition is planned to start by mid-November.

He said the first structure to come down will be Building B, which housed the Chicago Pizza and Hooters restaurants.

Croft said the demolition is scheduled to be completed by June.

Demolition includes 34,107 square feet of exterior space.

The Landing was built as a signature structure to help revitalize Downtown Jacksonville. Efforts were unsustainable, especially as population and retail centers spread into the suburbs and neighboring counties.

Property records show the Landing comprises three buildings.

D.H. Griffin proposed demolition in three phases, starting with buildings on the south side of the property closest to the St. Johns River.

The second phase was designed as the removal of pavers and pavement in the Landing’s courtyard area.

The main building was planned for the third phase of demolition to allow the last tenant, BBVA Bank, to operate until it had to vacate by Oct. 28, although the bank left before then.

Kimley-Horn and Associates Inc. is the consulting engineer.

Demolition has been expected for months, although supporters of the structure urged the city to pursue re-use rather than removal.

The city took control of the Landing in February after a $15 million settlement with Sleiman Enterprises Inc. The city owned the property while Sleiman owned the building.

City Council approved the agreement. Legislation included $1.5 million for tenant lease terminations and other expenses.

The $1.074 million cost to demolish the Landing is consistent with the bid awarded by the city June 20.

D.H. Griffin has until May 28 to demolish the two-story, 56-foot-tall structure, according to the deadline set by the city. 

Site work began Aug. 8, when D.H. Griffin installed fencing around the job site. Subcontractor Eco Relics began removing items from the Landing on Aug. 26 for resale.

Council approved $225,000 in September as part of Mayor Lenny Curry’s 2019-20 Capital Improvement Plan to pay for a marketing analysis for the property. 

The administration wants to spend an additional $2 million by fiscal year 2021-22 for pre-engineering, engineering and landscape work on the Landing’s public space.

By: Karen Brune Mathis
From: Jaxdailyrecord