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JCA president Stephen Chipkin has written to J-Wire to dispel rumours that the community organisation is involved in “the current dispute” with the board of the Hakoah Club.
Stephen Chipkin
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Stephen
Your comments are indeed re-assuring.
However David Balkin has publicly stated:
“Bnai Brith, who wishes to purchase the strata in the social/community building, made it clear from the outset that they did not want to be the only community organisation relocating to White City. We talked to the major community organisations about their willingness to relocate and the price they would be prepared to pay if they did. These discussions lead to the conclusion adopted by our plan, as well as the current Board’s plan, that 750-800sqm of community office space would be taken up. These discussions also indicated that the maximum price they could afford to pay would be about two-thirds of what a commercial operator, such as a gym operator, would pay. We factored these parameters into our model and concluded that even with the community office discount, Hakoah would generate $370,000 more net rent per year by going ahead with selling the strata to Bnai Brith, than by walking away from the deal.
In case you are wondering why this is the case, the money Hakoah gets from selling the strata builds 2000sqm of the community/social building. This leaves 1200 sqm for Hakoah to rent out. Bnai Brith has stipulated that it wants other community organisations who will join them to be able to rent 775sqm of this space with the balance for Hakoah to do with as it pleases. The discounted rent on the 775sqm and the full market rent on the remaining 425sqm generates $370,000 of net rent per year.”
Can you confirm the JCA was not one of the “major community organisations” approached to take up part or all of the 775 sq metres.
Hakoah approached JCA in April 2013 with a request for JCA to help in the planning of White City. That planning included the concept that communal offices be a part of the development. The Hakoah idea was canvassed with JCA and a number of JCA and non-JCA organisations.
Since the dissolution of the joint White City Working Party in late 2013, JCA has had no further involvement with White City or Hakoah, and has not been approached by anybody about taking up any space at the site.
As previously stated, JCA is not involved in any way with any plan for White City, nor is there any current plan (or discussion with any party of any plan) for JCA to move its offices to White City.
Stephen
Thank you for your clarification.
David Balkin – Who are the major communal organisations who are going to take up the 750-800 sqm of the 2000 sqm office block at about two thirds of the rents a commercial operator would pay?
Do you think it appropriate that you should be negotiating with any communal organisation or any commercial operator when you are not authorised to do so by the Hakoah Board?