JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2014 City council has pumped the brakes on an incentive package sought by Gateway Jax for its downtown project that would include a Publix grocery store for 30 days.<\/p>\n
The developer, Gateway Jax, is seeking $49 million from the city, including $28 million in the form of a completion grant.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t have that money,\u201d said Council President Nick Howland (R-Group 3 At-Large).<\/p>\n
Howland explained that\u2019s due in part to the fact that the city council is already planning to spend up to $28 million out of the $30 million downtown fund on the planned Culinary Institute of America campus.<\/p>\n
He said he expects the Downtown Investment Authority and Gateway Jax to spend the next few weeks hammering out a new deal less reliant on cash incentives, because there simply isn\u2019t a way to make both deals work as they\u2019re currently structured.<\/p>\n
\u201cOther possibilities could be low-interest rate loans or a future tax rebate. I\u2019ve also toyed with an opportunity of private money coming in and helping pay completion grants in return for a discount from the city on their future taxes,\u201d said Howland. \u201cSo, we\u2019re looking at more creative ways, given the fiscal constraints we have, to get some of those developments that everyone thinks are good ideas done.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gateway Jax CEO Bryan Moll said he\u2019s optimistic a new deal will be reached and passed without causing any delays.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur goal, so long as we\u2019re able to walk out of city council by the end of September with a plan, is to have shovels in the ground, have the building down and shovels in the ground late this year, which will allow us to deliver the whole project including Publix by the holidays of 2028,\u201d said Moll.<\/p>\n
The mayor\u2019s office described the Gateway Jax project as \u201ccritical for continuing Downtown Jacksonville\u2019s forward momentum\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cAny discussions about improvements to the development agreement are positive and welcome steps forward. We remain committed to this vital project and will work with all involved parties to keep it moving forward,\u201d said a spokesperson with the mayor\u2019s office in an emailed statement.<\/p>\n
And Councilmember Jimmy Peluso (D-District 7) argued striking a new deal is a must, as the addition of a downtown grocer is seen as a pivotal piece of making all the other downtown developments work.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we\u2019re going to build stuff downtown, we need to have it be an ecosystem where you\u2019ve got customers and residents right nearby to kind of keep these places alive and well,\u201d said Peluso.<\/p>\n
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