Murray Hill residents have been upset about the prospect of a 97,200 square foot three-story storage facility at their front door. Developers and their attorneys have said not to worry, we will build some retail, maybe an arts center, we’ll put up some murals, there will be things, we will build things as a buffer between the three-story storage facility and Edgewood Avenue. Plus we will add some parking, maybe 31 spaces, maybe.
They are throwing around promises of this and promises of that so they can get the Murray Hill Community to stop fighting and help push this through Planning and Development.
They need Planning and Development to authorize an administrative deviation to:
Reduce the minimum lot area from 87,120 feet to 52,272 feet
Reduce the setback on the east property line from 30 feet to 4 feet and reduce the setback on the south property line from 30 feet to eight feet
Reduce the minimum number of off-street parking spaces from 51 to three
Decrease the minimum number of loading spaces from three required to one loading space.
If they get that they can tear down the former Jones College at 1195 South Edgewood, the historical location of The Edgewood Theater, Murray Hill’s first movie theater, predating The Murray Hill Theater by 2 years, Then they’ll build their three-story storage facility.
And here’s the kicker, Murray Hill could be left with just that, a three-story storage facility and an empty lot where The Edgewood Theater once stood, no promised 31 parking spaces, no retail store fronts, no murals, no art center, just a three-story commercial eyesore and a vacant lot. Everything else, all the promises are concepts.
As things now stand the Developers have no obligation to do anything other than build their three-story storage facility. The Developers have refused to commit to any timeline for building the retail space.
Sure, their attorneys claim they can’t secure funding to build until they have a viable tenant(s) and that once they secure viable tenants they will build, but no time table and absolutely no guarantees have been put forth.
Maybe the Developers will deliver on all those promises.
And maybe this is all bait and switch.
Make your voice heard, contact:
Councilperson Jim Love (904-630-1390 or jimlove@coj.net)
Councilperson Garrett Dennis (904-630-1395 or garrettd@coj.net)
City of Jacksonville Planning Department (904-255-7829 or fhuxford@coj.net)
Riverton Tower Senior Center, Inc. plans to redevelop the property for the Silverfield Group.