A newly proposed land swap deal could help kick start a major development planned on Riverfront Plaza and get the UF grad school campus positioned to start classes in the fall. The deal involves Gateway Jax, a major developer already working on some big projects downtown. Under the proposal, a two-story office building in LaVilla would become the first property occupied by the new UF grad school. Boyer argued the deal would kill two birds with one stone by positioning the UF grad school to start classes in the office space as soon as August.
She said it would also get the ball rolling on construction of a story tower in the plaza. The plaza is set to include restaurants, hotels and 11 stories of housing units. The proposal still needs approval from DIA and city council, which Boyer said she hopes can be finalized by July. That deal closed in October, which was just two months before it was announced the area had been selected for the UF grad school campus.
The proposal comes up for its first hearing before the Downtown Investment Authority on Thursday, February 13th. The goal is to get the deal before the council by May. Warwick will need lawmakers' approval to create a commission to oversee the deficit, but the bill was held for further study.
In March, a man was arrested for kidnapping a 5-year-old girl after a house fire. This Wednesday, he was sentenced to 17 years in prison. Video from Palmyra High School showed the suspect making it inside the school as the door was open for a swimming event, according to court documents. Suspects at large after a Sunday shooting in St.
Cloud sparked a homicide investigation. All parties involved knew each other, police say. After eight years leading the Tar Heel State, former governor Roy Cooper will be teaching at the country's oldest institution of higher learning. The school is asking that parents are diligent in knowing and explaining the consequences that will follow if their student is found with a gun on campus.
