Look for JEA’s former Downtown headquarters campus to hit the market early next year, an executive for the city-owned utility told Jacksonville commercial real estate agents and developers Nov. 7.
“We intend to go out with an RFP (request for proposal) for these buildings in probably early to mid-January,” said Jordan Pope, JEA’s director of administrative services, speaking to the NAIOP Commercial Real Estate Development Association Northeast Florida Chapter.
“I’ll tell you that JEA’s goal with these buildings is to further contribute to the development and/or redevelopment of Downtown Jacksonville.”
Pope addressed JEA’s plans for its former offices during a lunch presentation that also touched on the utility’s capital improvement plans, its ongoing efforts to contend with supply chain issues for equipment, and general information. The event was at the Marriott Jacksonville Downtown.
In 2023, JEA moved out of its previous headquarters into a new seven-story building at 225 N. Pearl St.
The previous 2.47-acre campus includes a 19-story tower topped by what was once a rotating restaurant. The campus, including the 1962-built tower originally called the Universal Marion building, also housed offices and a department store before JEA bought it in 1988.
The campus includes an adjacent customer service center and a 590-space parking structure with ground-level retail. The site is at 21 W. Church St., 421 N. Laura St. and 21 E. Church St.
Pope said that by the time JEA moved out, the buildings had reached the end of their use as offices without significant renovation.
“If you ever worked in those buildings or visited them, it was time to go somewhere else or do something with them,” Pope said.
“However, I’m certain that we’re going to find someone who wants to do something great with these buildings.”
In August 2024, the JEA board approved a resolution declaring the former headquarters as surplus property and authorizing Managing Director and CEO Vickie Cavey to execute a purchase-and-sale agreement for all or parts of it.
In October 2023, JEA and the Downtown Investment Authority sponsored a symposium on office-to-residential conversion, with JEA’s involvement signaling the property could be a candidate for residential adaptive reuse.
Pope said residential conversion could be an option, but likely wasn’t the only one JEA would likely entertain through its RFP.
“My goal is really to leave it to the market to say what is best here,” he said, adding that a “less prescriptive” approach would best suit the utility.
Office-to-residential conversions have increased in recent years, driven by high office vacancy rates stemming from remote-work policies instituted during the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, not all office buildings are viable for conversion to living units for reasons that include zoning barriers, high renovation costs and building designs that prevent exposure to open air and provide little or no natural lighting in structure cores.