After three firms pitched their credentials last month to redesign the Jacksonville Landing, Doris Goldstein said it would be a tough decision.
It was so tough, in fact, the scoring committee comprising Goldstein, a Downtown Investment Authority board member, and DIA CEO Aundra Wallace ended up with the same conclusion.
Two of the companies tied for first, receiving the same scores. Later today, a city procurement board is expected to break that gridlock.
Goldstein and Wallace scored two firms, Cooper Carry Inc. and Wakefield Beasley & Associates, with identical scores of 124 out of a possible 140.
The 10-part scoring matrix they used included areas of competence, the ability to design an approach and work plan, financial responsibility and willingness to meet time and budget requirements.
“I thought that they were in a dead heat,” Goldstein said Wednesday. “The fact that we ended up in a dead tie … means we made two fabulous choices.”
Late last year, Landing co-owner Toney Sleiman unveiled his vision for the Downtown venue featuring a mix of residential, retail and a hotel. Shortly after, the Jacksonville Civic Council and others called for more time on the project and the need for more open space.
The DIA responded with a request for proposal in January for design firms, with 14 submissions being whittled to three last month.
Now, two are tied with the tiebreaker effectively being broken by the Professional Services Evaluation Committee that meets at 3 p.m. today.
One of the top scorers is Atlanta-based Cooper Carry, a full-service architecture firm whose portfolio includes projects like RiverPlace in Greenville, S.C., Emory Point in Atlanta and the Jeffersonville Canal District in Jeffersonville, Ind.
More waterfront expertise comes from its partner, Denver-based Civitas, which has projects like San Diego’s North Embarcadero, Miami’s Museum Park and Tampa’s Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park to its credit.
That group tied with Atlanta-based Wakefield Beasley, which has teamed up with Pittsburgh-based Urban Design. Wakefield Beasley has an office in Ponte Vedra Beach and has undertaken projects like the St. Johns Town Center; SunTrust Park in Atlanta, home of MLB’s Atlanta Braves; and Wade Park in Frisco, Texas.
Urban Design’s waterfront local portfolio features the Brooklyn Neighborhood Strategy Plan and work in Springfield with Local Initiatives Support Corporation. Other projects include the Pensacola Historic District and the West Don Land in Toronto.
Calls Thursday to Cooper Carry Principal Roger Miller and Wakefield Beasley CEO Lamar Wakefield seeking comment went unreturned.
Whichever firm is selected will then partner with Sleiman and his developer, Tom Senkbeil, on the venue’s overhaul.
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