The vacant and unfinished Berkman Plaza II sold for $4.75 million to 500 East Bay LLC, whose registered agent is Robert Odhe of Daytona Beach.
Our Jacksonville Daily Record news partner reports the LLC is based in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, and registered with the state Feb. 26.
Mayor Lenny Curry confirmed Tuesday that developers purchased the unfinished Berkman Plaza II structure Downtown along East Bay Street with plans to renovate it.
Atlanta-based Choate Construction Co. has owned the building since 2014 and sold it to 500 East Bay LLC.
Odhe said Wednesday that a 312-room hotel is planned for the unfinished structure along with a water and amusement park.
“It will have a family entertainment center with a water park and amusement rides,” said Odhe, whose company has been brought on as the general contractor.
“The amusement park will be like a Dave & Buster's on steroids,” he said.
He declined to identify the developer.
In addition to the play areas, Odhe said the now vacant condo tower in Downtown Jacksonville-Riverfront will be renovated into the hotel.
He added that plans also call for several restaurants and a couple of bars, all of which he estimates will require 900 employees to run the resort year-round.
The project should cost about $150 million and take about 18 months to complete, he said, and that the initial phases of cleaning and preparing the property for construction could start as early as next week.
“This is definitely going to be a go-to destination,” Odhe said when asked if this resort could compete with the massive competition in Orlando.
Odhe said he and others will be able to disclose more in the coming weeks once the final commitment paperwork has been filed.
The mayor said Tuesday developers plan to renovate what’s left of the 18-story structure into a hotel, with a parking garage and entertainment element.
