Keystone Heights Council members approved two bids to tear down the abandoned China Chef Restaurant at the city’s main intersection during a November 25 Community Redevelopment Agency meeting.
Council members voted to buy the 0.165-acre parcel at 125 East Walker Drive in March for $240,000.
A consultant commissioned by the North Florida Transportation Planning Council recommended that the triangular parcel be converted into parking and open space.
Phil Shad, with the engineering firm AtkinsRealis, also suggested the city use the open space as a marquee gateway to downtown, with a sign and other assets giving visitors a positive first impression of the city.
In subsequent meetings, council members indicated they intended to implement the consultant’s recommendations.
Bids for demolishing the structure and leaving the parcel with level ground ranged from $17,750 from East Coast Site and Utilities to $126,184 from Plus Point Construction.
The council awarded the bid to the second lowest bidder, Assist 2 Build, with a bid of $18,450.
City Executive Assistant Beau Wright, who manages the project, recommended Assist 2 Build because the East Coast bid did not include seeding the cleared site with grass.
Wright explained that East Coast did not attend an optional pre-bid meeting, during which he told the other contractors that he wanted the seeding included in the bids.
In a separate bid process, council members awarded an $11,800 asbestos removal contract to ELS Abatement and Construction to remove asbestos from the roof of the building. Three other contractors submitted bids for the work, the highest of which came in at $19,800.
City leaders have been discussing the building for two years, with many calling the site an eyesore.
During a 2023 city council meeting, Council Member Tony Brown said, “I want people to see another picture of our progress downtown…Get rid of what’s right there and make it look good when people come into town.”
After the two votes on November 25, Council Member Elston “Speedy” Kussler added an exclamation point to the proceedings by stating, “Tear it down.”
