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Haydon Burns RFP Thread

bobliocatt

By bobliocatt
in Jacksonville

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jacksonvillian Unincorporated Area

jacksonvillian

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The Florida Times-Union

August 11, 2005

OLD LIBRARY: Stay the course

The City Council should not change the rules in the middle of the game regarding future development of the Main Library property.

The city will retire the current downtown library on Ocean Street in November when a new library opens near Hemming Plaza. The Jacksonville Economic Develop- ment Commission sought bids for the property in March, and a city committee chose the $5 million high bid of the Atkins Group over two other bidders.

Atkins -- which plans to tear down the building and replace it with a condominium and retail center -- is negotiating a sales and purchase agreement with Mayor John Peyton's administration. It is expected to be completed in October.

Ultimately, the City Council would have to approve it.

The prospect that the library may be torn down alarms local preservationists. Those who want to save the building have good intentions. They hail it as an important architectural icon of the 1960s. But views vary widely; others see an ugly duckling that won't be missed.

Council member Suzanne Jenkins -- whose district includes the old library -- asked the Jacksonville Historic Preservation Commission to designate the library a city landmark, which would make demolition more difficult.

The commission said it didn't have the authority to do so because of a 50-year age requirement for historic buildings, prompting Jenkins to ask her council colleagues to waive the 50-year requirement for the structure.

We, too, would have preferred the city ask bidders to submit optional proposals based on a reuse of the building. We also wish pre- servationists had made their case before the public bidding process. But that didn't happen.

The Atkins proposal -- besides topping the second-closest bid by $1.75 million -- fits squarely with the city's goals of making downtown a better place to live, work and play while bolstering the tax base.

It would include 70 upscale condominiums, along with an array of shops and dining, and a plaza for live music and exhibits. A 600-seat movie theater would also be in the mix.

In the next two decades, Atkins projects the development will generate nearly $10 million in property taxes to city government and $5.9 million in taxes to the local school system.

And Atkins has vowed not to seek any city financial incentives in building the project.

Stephen Atkins, president of the Atkins Group, said he explored ways to make the project work by incorporating the old building, but it did not make financial sense -- and his $5 million winning bid proves it.

Interfering with that bid now would be unfair to the top bidder and would breed distrust in how the city does business.

Unless there are serious problems discovered with the Atkins proposal, the city should not undermine the public bidding process at this late date.

This story can be found on Jacksonville.com at http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stor..._19469576.shtml.

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bobliocatt City

bobliocatt

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This week's Folio Weekly cover story is about Hardwick's desire and reasons for saving the old library at all costs. It also has a side story claiming the Mayor is skeptical that Atkins can even come up with the $5 million purchase price. I'd love to fill everyone in more, but I'm in Detroit for the week.

http://urbanjacksonville.blogspot.com/

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jacksonvillian Unincorporated Area

jacksonvillian

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Interesting how this comment comes out while Atkins is negotiating with the JEDC!!

Particularly since, how the 5 million is escrowed during process and claw-backs of interest have been the major sticking points in the negotiations... not the 5 million itself.

This is the same Mayor who's office also said they hoped to smell chocolate downtown!?!

Interesting!

<_<

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bobliocatt City

bobliocatt

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Once again, another article that only mentions the Atkins proposal as a condo tower instead of it being a mixed-use project designed to support and attract additional downtown development. Also nothing is mentioned about what people who live/work/play downtown want.

Hopefully, Steve Atkins is right, when he says giving the city $5 million won't be a problem, because the stuff coming out of the mayor's office and the historic society sounds more fishy, every day.

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jjoshjl Whistle-Stop

jjoshjl

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I think people think we are still a cow pasture town. This whole arguement seems very backwater to me.

Hmmm.. Lets keep a building no one realy wants (seriosuly, few people realy want it), lets put a small time local company in there as the least effiecient use possible. Dont get me wrong, I wuld love to see Peterbrooke downtown, I jsut feel like it is turning into a good ol' boy type argumentality.

IT ISNT 1952 people...

let JAX grow (come to think about it, wasnt JAX in a better place then than it was now???)

Cheers

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Lunican Whistle-Stop

Lunican

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If Hardwick or anyone else wants to save the building, they should have put in a competitive bid. thats how it works. 40 years ago Hardwick was paid to design a structure for the city of jax, he was not paid to be the eternal guardian of the building. He does not own it nor did he pay for it. His contribution to the project, the architectural plans, can remain safely in his personal files.

hardwick should consider himself lucky that there isn't a movement to demolish every single one of his designs. he came up with some really ugly stuff.

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JaxNole Whistle-Stop

JaxNole

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I also find it interesting the language used on his website. Whoever maintains the site uses strong language, reminiscent of a kid who doesn't get everything he wants. For example, Friendship Park is described as "mutilated". I tried to support his preservation efforts, but I feel it's nothing more than a hit to his and his followers' pride by resorting to such dramatic language.

Hardwick's camp seems to think that everything in downtown, or at least structures with his involvement, are the most valuable in the city. Some of the arguments may have merit, but I think it's merely an attempt to preserve what he perceives as his great legacy. Progress can not flourish without admitting our mistakes. This is one of them.

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jjoshjl Whistle-Stop

jjoshjl

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Folio got one thing right,

It is a creepy, funny looking , down right ugly building.

Dont get me wrong, i like some of his stuff. 1000 riverside is one of my favorite buildings in jax...

THAT BEING SAID... ekk, I thought stuff liek the library was against the law to show small children...

Cheers

Josh

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