Jacksonville City Council President Ron Salem says the impending departure of Lori Boyer from the Downtown Investment Authority was a catalyst for his decision to launch a special committee to examine the DIA and the progress of Downtown redevelopment.
“I thought it was important that we put something in place to review the DIA so that as we begin to recruit and bring somebody on board we have a very clear understanding of the type of structure we’re going to have and the type of person we want to bring in,” Salem said, adding that he believed Boyer plans to serve two more years and then retire.
In an appearance on WJCT Public Media’s First Coast Connect talk show April 30, Mayor Donna Deegan also said she believed Boyer plans to step away from the DIA after two more years on the job.
Salem said Boyer plans to spend the last six months of her final two years focused largely on grooming her successor.
Boyer’s contract with the DIA expires in June. Her annual salary is $221,550.
At the April 17 DIA board meeting, Chair Jim Citrano expressed interest in extending Boyer’s contract by two years. The board is expected to vote on a contract extension at its May 15 meeting.
Boyer, in an April 30 email, said she advised the board chair several months ago that she would be willing to accept a two-year contract extension if the board would choose to offer one.
Boyer further said in the email that she had spoken with several board members regarding succession planning and had committed to notifying the board about whether it should initiate a search for a new CEO or if she would accept a new contract.
She also said that the two-year contract would allow time to complete several projects underway, for the board to conduct a search, hire a successor and provide for overlap allowing for a smooth transition.
Boyer has been the head of the DIA since July 2019. She’s been in public service since 2011 and was elected twice to the Jacksonville City Council. In 2017, she served as Council president.
The DIA also released this statement April 30:
“DIA looks forward to this opportunity to discuss the progress and challenges facing Downtown, ways to accelerate revitalization and structures for success. The DIA Board and staff remain committed to the Master Plan adopted by City Council and achieving its goals in a financially responsible way. We welcome the Council’s input on the process improvements that can be made and appreciate the Council’s continued focus on Downtown.”
Special committee
On April 29, the city released a memo from Salem establishing the committee. Named the Special Committee on the Future of Downtown, the committee’s task is to examine the DIA’s efficacy and explore what other cities have done to revive their downtowns.
Salem also said he was motivated by other factors in creating the committee, including recent snags in negotiations on an agreement to redevelop the Laura Street Trio, the fizzling of large projects such as the $166.6 million American Lions tower at Riverfront Plaza and media commentary criticizing the pace of progress in the Downtown revitalization effort.
The Laura Street Trio has sat vacant for decades amid failed attempts at revitalizing the group of historic buildings at Forsyth and Adams streets. American Lions failed to launch due to sharp increases in construction costs and interest rates, which also short-circuited the $140 million Hardwick at Ford on Bay mixed-use development and set back The Related Group in developing its 24-story luxury apartment building on the Southbank.
Asked whether the disbandment of the DIA was a potential outcome of the committee hearings, Salem said he didn’t want to speculate on how the panel’s work might turn out. In his memo, he says the committee’s discussions should include DIA staff and board members, Downtown stakeholders such as nonprofits and developers.
The thrust is to adopt strategies employed by other cities and remove barriers to redevelopment in Downtown.
“I have had three special committees in my year as president: one on the jail, one on homelessness and affordable housing and one on JSEB (Jacksonville Small & Emerging Business), and I think there are a very effective tool to gather information, gather input from the public and stakeholders and come back with an eventual conclusion,” he said. “I’m hopeful that this one will still serve that same type of purpose.”
‘Debatable’ progress
In the memo, Salem described Downtown’s progress as “debatable, at best,” since the DIA was created in 2012.
In the interview, Salem said he based his assessment of revitalization on feedback from developers and Realtors trying to work Downtown.
“I think presently there are frustrations on the pace of development,” he said. “I also understand we went through COVID, interest rates have gone up and there are other factors that I’m sure play into the frustrations. What I want to determine beyond those external factors is, are there internal reasons, based on the structure, the DIA, and how we handle development projects. Is that playing a factor in all of this?”
On First Coast Connect, Deegan said she was aggressively pushing for progress Downtown and was committed to the revitalization effort.
“Melissa (Ross, director of strategic initiatives in Deegan’s administration) is constantly on the phone every day saying, ‘Where is this? Where is this?’” Deegan said.
Deegan said she took no issue with the Council exercising its prerogative to examine the DIA and Downtown redevelopment. She said she was encouraged by projects such as the proposed Gateway Jax mixed-use development and the Related high-rise, for which a new term sheet is reportedly coming soon. But more progress is needed, she said, and measuring sticks need to be put in place so that the public can see what’s happening.
“I think there need to be specific goals set. I think we need to see some specific progress. We need to put some things in place where we say we need to be here at this point and here at this point and here at this point,” she said.
Peluso excluded
The committee will be chaired by Council member Kevin Carrico, with member Rory Diamond serving as vice chair. Other members will be Joe Carlucci; Reggie Gaffney Jr.; and Chris Miller.
The panel does not include Council member Jimmy Peluso, whose District 7 includes Downtown.
Peluso said he was disappointed and confused as to why the Downtown district Council member wouldn’t be included.
“I have spoken with the Council president and he provided me with his reasoning,” Peluso said. “I still have disagreements. The people of District 7 elected me to represent Downtown and look out for its interests. So I’m definitely disappointed, but I understand where he’s coming from and I think he really does want to see actual progress being made. So I’ll give him credit on that one.”
Salem said his goal was to name a diverse group with Downtown representation. Miller is an at-large Council member and Carlucci’s district includes the Southbank.
Peluso said he would attend the committee’s meetings. He said he hoped the discussion would focus on policy changes that would expand the DIA’s toolkit and make it easier for the staff to do their work.
“I don’t want people to think that we should get rid of DIA,” he said. “I don’t want people to think that we should start putting a lot of handcuffs on the DIA and development at large.”