The Berkman Plaza II could soon be sold, according to one of the owners of the unfinished Downtown structure.
WJCT News partner the Jacksonville Daily Record reports the property is owned by 500 East Bay LLC, led by principal Bob Ohde. Jim Bergman, who is a partner with Odhe, said they are under contract with a three-person Jacksonville-based management company and expect to close within 60 days.
Downtown Investment Authority Board Chair Ron Moody said Sept. 9 the buyers are led by Brian Wheeler, the owner of GGI Tapestry LLC and a former Genesis Group partner; Park Beeler, F3 Global Solutions managing member and a former executive at The Charter Co.; and Chris Young, president of Charlotte, North Carolina-based Biotech Restorations Holdings LLC.
“Obviously, Berkman Plaza has stood out like a sore thumb in the whole scheme of things Downtown,” Beeler said. “As we continued to look at the market and what we saw happening, we basically saw an opportunity to make an offer on it.”
Beeler said the group intends to demolish the property, which has sat unfinished on the Downtown Northbank of the St. Johns River for nearly 13 years.
Once the acquisition and demolition are complete, Beeler said the 2.02-acre site will be redeveloped into a mixed-use retail and 300-unit residential development.
An expanded version of this story that includes additional details about the plans for redevelopment is at JaxDailyRecord.com.
