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Hopes high for Ferman land

By Times Staff
Published October 6, 2006

Ferman Automotive Group's 28-year-old Jeep/Chrysler dealership at Kennedy Boulevard and Willow Avenue has closed, and the 10-acre site is for sale.

The Ferman Group has already sold the Jeep/Chrysler franchise to Jerry Ulm Dodge, on Dale Mabry Highway, which will add the cars to its inventory.

However, the price of the land has not been determined, said Ferman spokesman Frank North. The land and its buildings have a market value of more than $5.7-million, according to the Hillsborough County Property Appraiser's Web site.

James L. Ferman Jr., president and chief executive officer of the automotive group, has high hopes for the large site on the edge of downtown. The company's headquarters are across the street.

"I would like to see new owners be visionaries and realize that this land's unique size and location provides them with an extraordinary opportunity," he said in a statement. "New development can take full advantage of its proximity to our urban center."

All of the dealership's approximately 80 employees have been relocated to one of the company's 12 other locations in Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties.

Keath Peaton, vice president of the North Hyde Park Civic Association, said he is optimistic that a new use for the property will improve the area.

He trusts Ferman, whose family helped shape Tampa, to choose a good buyer.

"(Ferman has) been a good neighbor in the past," he said. "I think it represents positive progress."

[Last modified October 5, 2006, 07:12:35]