Jacksonville could demolish a Main Street bridge off-ramp to clear space for condo tower

Demolishing a Main Street bridge off-ramp is back on the table after a developer proposed building a downtown condominium tower that's designed to be the tallest building between Atlanta and Miami.

The city of Jacksonville has had plans for years to tear down the off-ramp that lets northbound drivers make a straight shot to South Newnan Street next to the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront in downtown. The little-used ramp goes over a portion of what used to be the old Jacksonville Landing parking lot on the east side of the bridge.

With the Landing demolished on the bigger piece of land west of the bridge, the nearly empty parking lot has drawn interest from developers because its location would offer sweeping views of the St. Johns River and the downtown skyline.

Cross Regions Group, a Jacksonville firm that is developing The Fountains at St. Johns in northern St. Johns County, has been meeting with the Downtown Investment Authority over the past year about building a soaring condo tower on the city-owned parcel.

"It's a great site once you really look at the opportunities here," said Thomas Ingram, an attorney with Sodl & Ingram who is working with Cross Regions Group. "The views are spectacular. It's an iconic location in the heart of Jacksonville's core."

He said downtown development is adding amenities that would attract condominium purchasers. He pointed to the work happening on the other side of the Main Street bridge where the city is building Riverfront Plaza on the site where the Jacksonville Landing was razed.

"I think people's eyes will be open when they see how great downtown can be with that park and with other expansions of the riverwalk," Ingram said.

Doug Smith, chief operating officer for Cross Regions Group, said that because it would take time to get a development like the high-rise tower built, the park would be finished by then. He said downtown needs condominiums for the mix of housing people can choose from in downtown.

He said the project, which is called Ergisi Tower, would have 320 condo units and 35,000 square feet of restaurant and retail space, bringing more riverfront dining to downtown. As currently designed, it would be 712 feet tall with 53 stories, though that is subject to change when the building moves into the engineering phase.

Cross Regions Group's interest in the site became public Wednesday when the Downtown Investment Authority board held a workshop about the timing and type of development it wants to see on some city-owned riverfront parcels including the parking lot.

In the past year, two other proposed residential high-rises for city-owned, riverfront land in downtown didn't move forward because rising construction costs and interest rates made them economically unfeasible. The 44-story American Lions tower was considered for part of the riverfront land where The Jacksonville Landing once stood and an 18-story apartment building called The Hardwick had been slated for the old county courthouse property between Bay Street and the river.

The DIA is not actively seeking development on those two sites. The property with the old Landing parking lot is the third piece of city-owned land on the Northbank riverfront that could have high-rise development on it.

The biggest obstacle for Cross Regions or any developer building on the property is the off-ramp that comes from the northbound lanes of the Main Street bridge. The elevated ramp swings over the parking lot. In addition to carrying automobile traffic, the ramp also brings the pedestrian walkway on that side of the bridge down to ground level.

Downtown Investment Authority CEO Lori Boyer said the state Department of Transportation, which owns the bridge, previously said it would allow demolition of the off-ramp. Boyer said an estimate in 2020 put the demolition cost at $3.2 million. She said it could be in the $5 million range now and if the DIA board decided to go forward, it has funds in its own budget to pay for it.

While tearing down the ramp would open up more developable space, the parcel still would face some other constraints. A large JEA sewer pipe that runs parallel to the St. Johns River bulkhead makes a strip of land along the riverfront a no-build zone. In addition, the state Department of Transportation requires a 50-foot buffer zone along that side of the bridge so that's another factor squeezing where development can go.

Boyer said the state transportation department might reduce the 50-foot buffer zone if the city redesigned part of Riverfront Plaza on the other side of the bridge in a way that increases the 30-foot buffer the transportation department is allowing for the park.

She said if the buffer zone becomes bigger on the park side of the bridge, that might eliminate a beer garden planned for part of the park, but it would give more space on the parking lot side of the bridge for new development.

The state previously demolished the on-ramp from Independent Drive to the Main Street bridge heading south across the bridge, creating more space for Riverfront Plaza. The design of Riverfront Plaza calls for building a new ramp between the bridge and the park for walkers and bicyclists but not automobiles.

The DIA board did not take any action Wednesday on the parking lot site. The board plans to have a workshop next month when it can hear from Cross Regions Group about its proposal, get briefed by JEA about the sewer line, and find out what city's chief resiliency officer thinks about potentially moving the sewer line closer to the St. Johns River.

The board then would decide whether it wants to enter directly into negotiations with Cross Regions about developing the city-owned parcel or issue a request for proposals inviting other developers to make pitches. Boyer said other developers have contacted her about the site though not with proposals as fleshed out as Cross Regions.

Main Street bridge: The bridge is 83 years old. See throwback photos here.

Laura Street Trio: City Council members say demolishing historic Laura Street Trio should be examined

Boyer said a City Council member has asked her if the city could look at purchasing the Daniel Building, which is next to the parking lot, from the Hyatt Regency hotel, which would further expand the development area. The Daniel Building provides parking for the hotel so it would require building a parking garage elsewhere for the Hyatt.

Boyer said there have been discussions about working with the Hyatt to build more meeting space and a parking garage on grass-covered land next to the hotel where the city tore down the former City Hall Annex building along Bay Street.

Smith said Cross Regions is ready to move forward.

"It's always a process to work through the engineering work of any development, whether it's stormwater or sewer or electric easements," he said. "We're at the early stages in that, but the bottom line is Cross Regions has spent a lot of time evaluating the site and feels good about being able to fit within the site."

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Soaring condo tower proposed for downtown Jacksonville riverfront