Environmental issues slow Garden Street building sale
- March 19, 2015
- / Carlton Proctor
- / education
The sale of Escambia School District's former headquarters on Garden Street has hit a surprising environmental snag.
But both the prospective developer and district officials are working to remediate soil that apparently has been contaminated by a gasoline station that once occupied the site.
Tampa Bay area developer Fred Hemmer, who has a contract on the old Vernon McDaniel Building at 215 W. Garden St., said the deal is being held up until the School District determines the extent of the soil contamination.
[caption id="attachment_20463" align="alignright" width="450"]
Work near the old Vernon McDaniel Building on Garden Street.[/caption]
Excavation of the site and testing of the soil are under way, Hemmer said.
“We have not closed on the property yet,” he said. “We’ve had to redo the contract with the School Board because we were all surprised by what we found in the ground.
“So, we’ve regrouped and are meeting this week to see what the results are of the excavation and soil testing,” he said.
Last June, the School Board approved the contract with Hemmer Consulting, LLC, to buy the 4.82 acre parcel for $3.25 million.
School District spokesman Shawn Dennis said the Garden Street property, is “still very much in the transaction phase.
“We're both in due diligence, and we have begun some remediation of the site,” he said. “We’re meeting this week to talk about the extent of that remediation and where we go from there.”
Justin Beck, whose Pensacola-based Beck Properties is brokering the deal, said the site is still under contract with Hemmer Consulting LLC.
“Hopefully, Fred (Hemmer) and the School District will get it all figured out and they can close the sale,” Beck said.
Beck said there has been a lot of interest in the site, and it “makes sense as a mixed-use (office/multi-family residential) development.”
The now-vacant building contains more than 48,000 square feet of interior space and is zoned for office and commercial use.
Work near the old Vernon McDaniel Building on Garden Street.[/caption]
Excavation of the site and testing of the soil are under way, Hemmer said.
“We have not closed on the property yet,” he said. “We’ve had to redo the contract with the School Board because we were all surprised by what we found in the ground.
“So, we’ve regrouped and are meeting this week to see what the results are of the excavation and soil testing,” he said.
Last June, the School Board approved the contract with Hemmer Consulting, LLC, to buy the 4.82 acre parcel for $3.25 million.
School District spokesman Shawn Dennis said the Garden Street property, is “still very much in the transaction phase.
“We're both in due diligence, and we have begun some remediation of the site,” he said. “We’re meeting this week to talk about the extent of that remediation and where we go from there.”
Justin Beck, whose Pensacola-based Beck Properties is brokering the deal, said the site is still under contract with Hemmer Consulting LLC.
“Hopefully, Fred (Hemmer) and the School District will get it all figured out and they can close the sale,” Beck said.
Beck said there has been a lot of interest in the site, and it “makes sense as a mixed-use (office/multi-family residential) development.”
The now-vacant building contains more than 48,000 square feet of interior space and is zoned for office and commercial use.
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