Obama's [his administration, his administrator] EPA tells property buyers and seller they must elevate the building.
Warren Motors leaving State Street after agreeing to sell to Family DollarWarren Motors is leaving State Street after agreeing to sell to Family Dollar and McDonald's.
Posted: June 26, 2012 - 6:30pm |
Updated: June 27, 2012 - 4:56am
By
Roger Bull Ellis Warren is ready to leave downtown. And once Warren Motors leaves State Street, the plan is for a McDonald’s and Family Dollar to take its place.
Warren said he’s got a contract to sell the 1.57 acres between Market and Newnan streets to Family Dollar. He’s only dealt with the discount store chain, which then brought McDonald’s in.
“They only needed half of it,” Warren said, “so they put McDonald’s on the other half.”
The sale is still contingent on both businesses getting their permits, and Warren said that’s been going on for months.
“They make it almost impossible,” he said. “The EPA gives them such a hard time, they wanted them to elevate the building.
“But the lady at Family Dollar said they can work it out.”
The businesses seem confident, too.
Misty Skipper, the Dalton Agency spokeswoman for McDonald’s, said construction is expected to begin late summer and early fall, with opening before the end of year.
She said she didn’t know who the owner-operator is but that McDonald’s typically has about 50 employees per location.
The closest McDonald’s is at Eighth Street and Interstate 95.
The Family Dollar store is scheduled to open before Halloween, spokesman Josh Braverman said. It will be a typical Family Dollar, he said, about 9,000 square feet and employing eight to 10 people.
Hiring usually takes place two weeks before opening.
Family Dollar now has about 40 stores in Jacksonville, he said.
As for Warren, he’ll be moving his used car business after 23 years on State Street.
“When we moved down here, we had about 90,000 people working downtown,” he said. “Now everybody’s moved to Deerwood. We used to sell 45-50 cars a month, now we’re doing nothing.
“And the dadgum taxes are out of sight.”
He said he once paid $6,000 a year in property taxes, now it’s more than $28,000. He’s even got it broken down by the week: $543.
“The new mayor, he’s trying to rejuvenate it, and I think he probably will. But we can’t keep throwing dollars out on the street.”
Warren, who’s 86 and still works six days a week, started his business in 1955 up at Pearl and 21st streets.
He specializes in what he calls “blue-collar cars,” most running $4,000-$9,000. But over the years, his used car lot was as famous for its national champion softball team as it was for its cars. But the team disbanded about a decade ago.
And now Warren is looking for a spot in Northwest Jacksonville to reopen.
He wouldn’t say what price he and Family Dollar have agreed to for that block on State Street.
“All we’re doing is just getting out, getting the banks paid off,” he said, “and I’m happy with that.”
roger.bull@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4296 Read more at Jacksonville.com:
http://jacksonville.com/business/2012-06-26/story/warren-motors-leaving-state-street-after-agreeing-sell-family-dollar#ixzz1z3YTdcucIf you want to get the economy going again, the the EPA we will protect our own environment from them [EPA].
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