NOTE: Tower Park Purchase
The following is the unofficial history, by Steve Witham:
“Back in 2006 the developer of record, maintaining sole voting rights for the Association, decided the HOA should purchase the Tower Park property for $175,000 requiring a Special Assessment charged to all property owners. Prior to the purchase the property was leased. We, the MPCA, maintained the property through turnover in 2019. In June of that year the HOA chartered the CAC who later reported Tower Park had zero commercial value and was an unbuildable parcel. A recommendation was made to gift it to the City. The finishes of the tower structure continued to degrade. The lanterns were removed as a safety precaution. The CAC was de-established in 2022. A survey was conducted in October of that year asking residents should we keep the property or sell. Most respondents preferred to sell. Following consultation with a commercial realtor it was then determined the property actually did have marketable value and was listed for sale. In May 2023 the sale commenced for $200,000 minus 8% commission and fees, net proceeds of $179,754.59. The buyer, TOTO 17, said the purchase was an investment and didn’t plan to build. However, no maintenance or improvements were done. A couple months ago a truck jumped the curb damaging one of the planter walls. My understanding is Mike Boucher worked out a lease with the owner to place his business sign on the tower in return for maintenance and repair of the parcel.”
What is the big brouhaha, about what we used to call ‘Tower Park’, and why does it matter one whit to us any more? And why dredge up that decision to sell the property? Let’s begin with this: that decision, or how that proceeded, is not the subject here, either. This is no second-guessing or calling home to roost of past decisions, or those involved in making them. Okay, so what is our problem with Mike Boucher? What did he ever do to us? Well, it’s not about Mike either, it’s about his landlord, city law, and ‘offsite advertising’. That’s advertising by a business that is not the owner of the property, and that’s prohibited in Green Cove Springs. Tower Park would have had a much higher appraised value when we owned it, if things had been different then. Two years ago nothing was any different, and we had no reason to believe it would be anytime soon. The law was made very clear to us then: we could not use Tower Park for any income-generating enterprise, read ‘advertising’, if it involved any third-party’s message. We sold the property. But the law didn’t change, full stop! Now, in response to our recent inquiries, the city wrote on June 5th, “The property owner has been notified by our Code Enforcement Officer earlier this week that off-site signs are a violation of our city code”. So, where are we today? If the City lets this go on, and to be fair, they seem, shall we say a little casual in effecting a resolution, then yes, the property owner will let Mike continue displaying his message; and the City will be sending a very different one to the community. Of course we wish Mike, a neighbor, the best. But his rent checks could have been coming to us.
Editor • June 18, 2025
