FERNANDINA BEACH, Fla. — Fernandina Beach City Commissioners approved a $12.5 million redevelopment of the Fernandina Harbor Marina that will be partially funded by the paid parking plan rolled out earlier this year.
The city rolled out its paid parking policy in February. It runs from Alachua Street to Ash Street and 8th Street to Front Street.
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Both locals and tourists alike told Action News Jax that they weren’t too happy about its arrival.
“It just adds another expense, another layer of stress,” Amie Mansfield said back in February.
“I think it does take away from the historical value of the city,” Captain Scott Thompson, who owns a boat at the marina, said.
In its first week alone, the city generated over $100,000 from the new paid parking plan, primarily from annual parking permits. Now, some of that revenue will help pay for the $12.5 million redevelopment of the marina.
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In a breakdown of the funding, the city said that $1,571,400 of paid parking revenue will go towards the development. Also funding the project is $6.7 million in financing, a $3 million state grant, over $600,000 in Community Redevelopment Agency reserves and $559,231 from the FIND Grant.
Construction on the project is set to begin in mid-August and is expected to take at least 16 months.
City officials say the project is meant to improve resiliency, the view corridor, marina operations, and access to the riverfront in addition to reducing excess pilings and structures.
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The process will include taking down the infrastructure holding Brett’s Waterway Cafe before dredging and rebuilding the pier.
During construction, A and B docks will be shut down, the marina staff will relocate to the boater’s lounge and the boardwalk from Brett’s northward will be closed. Memorial benches in affected areas will be placed in storage to prevent damage.
Thompson said he’s excited for the new marina, but could do without the yearly parking permit.
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“There are several major, generational infrastructure projects scheduled for our historic downtown,” Deputy City Manager Jeremiah Glisson said in an email to Action News Jax. “The paid parking program is a way to share that financial burden with the 1.1 million visitors that come here a year.”
We were informed by a city official that Fernandina Beach will be holding an event on Tuesday at 10 a.m. at City Hall specifically to provide media with more in-depth answers. We’ll keep you updated with this project online and on air.
To learn more about the project, click here.
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