JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – JEA is expected to decide next week where the city-owned utility's new headquarters will be located.
Three developers have submitted plans that the JEA board is going over before making a final decision Tuesday. Ahead of Tuesday's meeting, JEA released the Best and Final Offer Forms for all three companies.
The board took bids from developers for a new location in January and then narrowed the list of potential locations to three sites. The proposals each include a new office tower. One developer would put the tower in the development planned for Lot J in the Sports Complex. Another would put it in the heart of downtown next to the Duval County Courthouse. A third developer would locate the JEA office next to the Kings Avenue parking garage in San Marco.
Based of the base building costs for each proposal, the cheapest option appears to be Lot J and the most expensive option appears to be Kings Avenue, which developers say is "shovel ready," according to the Best and Final Offer Forms.
Base building cost for each proposal
- Lot J: $54.8 million
- West Adams Street: $72.2 million
- Kings Avenue: $81.7 million
The Lot J proposal is outside TIAA Bank Field, the stadium where the Jaguars play. The Cordish Companies is the developer for that proposal. The developer says the location gives JEA employees and customers access to nearby restaurants and other businesses, which aren't there yet. The headquarters would include interactive meeting spaces and a work cafe. It would also give a jump-start to the development of a part of town that would ultimately include the shipyards property, which is why it's considered a front-runner.
The Best and Final Offer Form for the Lot J proposal shows a base building cost of $54.8 million. Add in tenant improvement allowance, parking costs and off-site improvements -- such as streets, utilities and infrastructure -- and the total development cost would be $81.2 million, according to the form.
BEST AND FINAL OFFER FORMS: Lot J | West Adams Street | Kings Avenue
Ryan Companies US Inc. is proposing a headquarters at 325 West Adams St., which it says is easily accessible for employees and customers already familiar with the current JEA location downtown. The building would include several collaborative spaces and offices. The company says it would be a catalyst for other downtown development.
According to the Best and Final Offer Form for the West Adams Street proposal lists a base building cost of $72.2 million.
The third proposal to put JEA's headquarters on Kings Avenue is from Chase Properties. The design shows the headquarters would be eight stories tall. Proponents say the location is already on a major bus route, it's near the Skyway, there's plenty of parking and no special permits would be needed before construction could begin. The developer says the site is ready to go.
The Best and Final Offer Form for the Kings Avenue proposal states a base building cost of $81.7 million.
Click here to see the presentations for each of the three proposed sites.
The board will decide which site to choose at Tuesday's meeting.
The JEA board determined it would be cheaper to build at a new location rather than renovate the current tower downtown on West Church Street. JEA has been in the building, which was built in 1962, since 1989. JEA leaders said the building is too old and too big, and the cost to repair it is too high.