JEA headquarters to shrink

[howfam]

Heights Unknown will hate this. The proposed JEA headquarters will likely be smaller. Ryan will also likely get rid of the property after building it.

If Ryan sells the nine-story, Class A office tower, which is scheduled to break ground at 325 W. Duval St. in July, JEA would have a new landlord.

The possible sale comes as JEA negotiates a lease agreement amendment with Ryan that could shrink the building’s design and reduce the cost of the project.

The utility hopes to reduce the cost of the headquarters from $78 million to $66.77 million, That’s an $11.23 million, 15.5% savings.

The smaller headquarters would lower JEA’s 15-year, $160.5 million lease.

The proposed redesign would reduce both the square footage of the building and connected parking garage by 12%, according to documents included in the April 28 board material.

https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/article/ryan-could-sell-new-jea-headquarters-after-completion

Well, this is certainly disappointing, but not unexpected. It falls in line with the trend that I cited on another thread in which various projects have somehow been chopped down in size before ground braking. I know it's a long shot, but there's still a chance that the reduction might not yield a height reduction (time will tell), maybe a narrower building with smaller footprint, with more landscaping potential. If height is reduced, it's another victory for high rise opponents and a setback for Jax's "attempt" to have a skyline. Let's face it though, even a nine story building would not contribute to skyline enhancement.  /howfam

[Steve]

Personally I care much more about Floor 1 then I do about Floor 2 through whatever. While height and cool architecture are awesome, I'd rather street interaction. This project isn't amazing, but it's way better than the vacant dirt lot that the city parks on, and at least they included active use on Julia.

Now, they take that away and I'll retract my previous statement.

[BridgeTroll]

Why even bother with this? Just work from home.

I agree; that is the new norm isn't it? Hell, just do away with downtowns and replace with residential homes and essential offices here and there, just as you do throughout the city and not in or at a central point or destination.

People don't think through what an economic disaster a broader work-from-home society would create.

The velocity of money would plummet, and entire industries would be destroyed.

White collar workers able to do their jobs from home would benefit, and just about everyone else (besides Amazon) would suffer. Restaurants would suffer. Gas stations and car dealerships would suffer. Construction would suffer. Millions of janitorial and maintenance workers would suffer. Daycares would suffer. Suppliers, lawn crews, fire marshalls, airlines.

Why even bother with this? Just work from home.

I agree; that is the new norm isn't it? Hell, just do away with downtowns and replace with residential homes and essential offices here and there, just as you do throughout the city and not in or at a central point or destination.

People don't think through what an economic disaster a broader work-from-home society would create.

The velocity of money would plummet, and entire industries would be destroyed.

White collar workers able to do their jobs from home would benefit, and just about everyone else (besides Amazon) would suffer. Restaurants would suffer. Gas stations and car dealerships would suffer. Construction would suffer. Millions of janitorial and maintenance workers would suffer. Daycares would suffer. Suppliers, lawn crews, fire marshalls, airlines.

But... we would save the planet...

[jaxlongtimer]

People don't think through what an economic disaster a broader work-from-home society would create.

The velocity of money would plummet, and entire industries would be destroyed.

White collar workers able to do their jobs from home would benefit, and just about everyone else (besides Amazon) would suffer. Restaurants would suffer. Gas stations and car dealerships would suffer. Construction would suffer. Millions of janitorial and maintenance workers would suffer. Daycares would suffer. Suppliers, lawn crews, fire marshalls, airlines.

^ Most people I know eventually go stir crazy at home for various reasons I won't mention here  .  And, not sure day care would suffer with home workers still needing to focus on work during the day.

Home offices may actually increase the desire of people to get out and about, be it the outdoors, restaurants, travel, entertainment, recreation, sporting events, etc. more than now as those become the more central escapes from home life.  The big loss will be those jobs supporting commuting and office buildings. But, as the world has always done, for every job lost at least one more pops up.

Just thinking about all the stables, barns, wooden fence and pole makers, pasture developers, feed stores, veterinarians, leather crafters, saddle makers, farriers, outdoor clothing manufacturers, stage coach industry, milliners, Pony Express, etc. that lost jobs when the automobile arrived.  How many lost jobs in the passenger railroad business when airlines became commonplace?  How many jobs were we supposed to lose with advent of automation, AI and robots?

With people sequestered in homes, I have more concern for the ability of our society to sustain some level of social skills already diminishing in the face of technology.

[thelakelander]

Go ahead and wack off two more floors. It will be a seven-story structure now. In addition, a 40,000 square foot emergency operations center will be constructed at an undetermined site elsewhere:

https://www.jacksonville.com/news/20200515/jea-downsizes-planned-headquarters-building-in-downtown-jacksonville

[Tacachale]

You'd think it would be easier and cheaper to stay where they are.

[Captain Zissou]

Poor Ryan companies.  They probably rue the day they got involved with JEA. 

[fieldafm]

Poor Ryan companies.  They probably rue the day they got involved with JEA.

They will definitely make money on the building, regardless of its size.

[marcuscnelson]

JEA currently owns two office towers in downtown that have 360,000 square feet of space for 960 employees who work there, which JEA says its far too much space for that workforce.

Stein said those buildings are a “ticking time bomb” because of all the maintenance needed for them.

“I think these buildings need to be demolished,” Stein said.

Ouch.

During the workshop Friday, board members coalesced around a plan for a 152,000-square-foot building with a 742-space parking garage. The garage would have space for use by the nearby State Attorney’s Office, though board members wanted more information about whether JEA would get a return on that expense from leasing revenue.

“We’re not in the parking business,” board Chairman John Baker said.

JEA would build and own a new 40,000-square-foot building at a site yet to be determined.

I wonder where.

[thelakelander]

1. Definitely a building that will need to be proactively landmarked. Luckily, like the FBC Sunday School building and unlike Doro, it's already listed as a contributing structure to the National Register Downtown Historic District.

2. There should definitely be a push to make sure this is somewhere downtown and occupying a former surface parking lot, as opposed to taking out another historic building.

[Captain Zissou]

Poor Ryan companies.  They probably rue the day they got involved with JEA.

They will definitely make money on the building, regardless of its size.

I hope they make a lot, because JEA has put them through it.

[marcuscnelson]

1. Definitely a building that will need to be proactively landmarked. Luckily, like the FBC Sunday School building and unlike Doro, it's already listed as a contributing structure to the National Register Downtown Historic District.

Going to post my own quote here.

Let's be radical here.

We're talking about lobbying for the city to designate these buildings as landmarks. Thanks to you, Lake, there's a list of buildings to at least start with.

So why don't we do what many lobbyists do, and in the words of Bernie Sanders, just "write the damn bill(s)?"

Here's a link to the most recent landmarking bill, for Mount Sinai Missionary Baptist Church.

Is there a group of people here who would be interested in taking this bill, and adapting it for each of the buildings on that list? I'm talking about doing the dirty groundwork so that all Council has to do is sign off. Who'd be down?

2. There should definitely be a push to make sure this is somewhere downtown and occupying a former surface parking lot, as opposed to taking out another historic building.

To be fair, isn't the point of an emergency operations center to be in a place that would be more immune to an emergency? Is downtown the safest place for that?

[thelakelander]

To landmark, you'd need a sponsor and that would have to pretty much be the property owner/agent, HPC, the mayors office or a council member. Best thing to do would be to do the initial research of the 2 to 4 of 7 criteria needed for landmark designation and supply that information to HPC staff. If the owner is on board, it makes it a lot easier. The research to justify landmarking under the 307.104 would be the most important and time consuming aspect.

[thelakelander]

To be fair, isn't the point of an emergency operations center to be in a place that would be more immune to an emergency? Is downtown the safest place for that?

Centralized location, adaquate infrastructure, accessibility, etc. makes downtown a great location......as long as you keep it off the lower lying areas along the river.

[jaxlongtimer]

To be fair, isn't the point of an emergency operations center to be in a place that would be more immune to an emergency? Is downtown the safest place for that?

Centralized location, adaquate infrastructure, accessibility, etc. makes downtown a great location......as long as you keep it off the lower lying areas along the river.

JEA already has a very sophisticated emergency operations center in the City.  I am not sure why they need another one unless they want an even more hardened building than the one they have.