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According to employees who recently relocated to Jacksonville's urban core in order to be close to the 30 story tower, the workforce is being quietly told to prepare for the phased withdrawal of the company to the city's corporate friendly southside.
When Southern Bell built the building in the early 1980's, it marked the transition of the downtown economy from one built on shipping, industry and retail, to an administrative/governmental/corporate economy replacing ----in the nick of time---the scores of thousands of consumers who departed the core after Hemming Park renovations caused the collapse of over 4 million sq ft of retail with corporate employees.
The (post divestiture) BellSouth Building was sold a few years ago, leaving its eponymous inhabitants as mere renters. Apparently the company has decided that owning is better than leasing and will be removing 8 floors of occupants slowly to new headquarters located on the Southside.
A phone call to the leasing company for the landmark downtown property revealed that while the move is apparently in the works, the final details of the move have not been finalized with the landlords.
This development underscores the lack of foresight in a central developing scheme around a handful of large corporate individuals rather than a diversified approach that re-centers downtown to the needs of the entire city.
The recent decision of the JTA to forge its notorious BRT downtown routes in order to accommodate the transit of the Corporate Towers is thrown into even sharper view. After all, what use would the BRT downtown route serve if any more of them decide to relocate?
In any case, the departure of Bellsouth from the Downtown will create massive upheaval downtown.
At 18 dollars a sq ft, it is unlikely that a tenant will be easily found to replace the over 200,000 square feet occupied by the venerable company, especially not in a building that is already 3 floors vacant.
As usual, there is no evidence that anyone involved in the City's anemic downtown development community are even aware of the possibility, although that will certainly change shortly.
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hightowerlover
August 30, 2007, 03:44:20 PMThat explains why they havent slapped the at&t logo on that building. I was wondering.
vicupstate
August 30, 2007, 04:55:25 PMMore bad news on the DT front.
San Marco Riverwalk - scratch
JEA Southbank deal - scratch
Riverwatch or One12 - scratch
Bell South - vacated
Hemming Plaza going 9-5 again
Courthouse - likely scratch
I guess St. John's Town Center REALLY IS the new Downtown.
downtownparks
August 30, 2007, 05:04:55 PMIn fairness, one and two are the same project, and three is just in limbo... There is plenty of positive stuff going on. If you focus on the negative, you will kill your drive and spirit behind the downtown push.
We will get there, we might just have to wait a couple of years until the real estate market picks back up.
stephendare
August 30, 2007, 05:48:09 PMgetting downtown back on track doesnt need the real estate market to do anything.
It needs the pols to get the hell out of the way, and for all the disastrous infrastructuring to be undone.
Captain Zissou
August 30, 2007, 05:48:17 PM1 and 2 are different projects. San Marco Riverwalk was the project slated to be adjacent to the Peninsula/Strand on the Raddison site. JEA project is east of the School Board building. Three is in limbo, but it will be one or the other, not both as it once was.
Ocklawaha
August 30, 2007, 06:03:01 PMBoth JTA'S horrid planning for blowing BRT right through the middle of downtown, and UNDER our unfinished Skyway is nearly conspiratorial. City Hall's fumbling and sleeping at the wheel in carrying out a comprehensive plan is equally deplorable. These blood sucking Neanderthals are a prime example of why people shouldn't drink their own urine. But then my opinion falls short of fully describing the depths they are capable of descending to. Should we get ready for:
"For sale, downtown Jacksonville, CHEAP, 50% South of the BRT and another 50% available North of the damn thing..."
Ocklawaha
vicupstate
August 31, 2007, 10:27:25 AMAs Captain stated, one and two are two different projects. If anyone doesn't think that SERIOUS momentum hasn't been lost the last few years, they are in denial. Much of it is related to the R.E. slowdown, but just as much of it isn't.
I am not going to put on rose-colored glasses, we need to raise the flag on just how bad it has gotten, so that someone WAKES UP.
Keep in mind that JAX was already a decade behind similiar sized cities in this regard, even before the loss of momentum of the last few years.
downtownparks
August 31, 2007, 10:55:18 AMI have no doubt momentum has been lost, but there is still enough positive that I would hate to talk down what positive stuff is happening.
stephendare
September 01, 2007, 11:46:35 AMhave to agree with vicupstate here.
its time to change policy, philosophy and tactics.
An honest broker needs to be established in the downtown. One that isnt beholden to the parking lot interests, the needs of southside businessmen to siphon off all available tenants to miraculously well paved and easy to access properties on the southside and who isnt the pawn of the various beaurocracies who have choked the very life out of downtown.
Delaney seemed to be the very man. And downtown has been on a greased skid downwards ever since he left.
The only real encouraging sign is the movement of the small guys into the power vacuum being left behind by the capsized ship of downtown development. That much at least its fair to grant for Downtown Parks point of view.
I personally think that its the only thing that will eventually work anyways.
citykitty
September 06, 2007, 06:52:29 PMJacksonville was and always will be Cowford until our city leaders pull their heads out of the sand.
fsujax
September 07, 2007, 08:04:19 AMIt is sad to see what has happend to Downtown over the last couple of years. I had so much hope at the end of Delaney's last term. It is going to have to be up to the small businesses to keep Downtown moving forward. We have to support them as much as possible. I noticed CitiStreet has a small sign on the ground floor of the Bellsouth Tower, I wonder if they could buy the naming rights to the top of the tower?