Creating Downtown Vibrancy by Exposing Secret Retail

[Metro Jacksonville]

Creating Downtown Vibrancy by Exposing Secret Retail



News flash Jacksonville: There won't be a Whole Foods, Publix, Nordstroms or 10,000 residents beating down the doors of downtown to anytime soon. However, this does not mean that all is lost. Better exposing and utilizing what's already there is an affordable solution that will stimulate additional foot traffic and create the unique sense of place city leaders desire.

Full Article
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2010-nov-creating-downtown-vibrancy-by-exposing-secret-retail

[Garden guy]

NO TIME SOON???

[Garden guy]

No time soon..you can bet your boots on that one...with the conservative bunch leading this city..it'll be another 30 years before that happens...they all have to die and be replaced by forward thinking people for a downtown to return to Jax...sucks but the truth hurts and we can all blame it on the  cracked leadership this city has had to put up with...good luck to all...you'll need it.

[Jumpinjack]

All of these things could happen right now, today. They aren't relying on big, infrastructure funding. Building owners and retail store owners could make this change happen in the blink of an eye. Good article, Ennis.

[Traveller]

I'm friends with the owner of Java Junction.  She says the property manager of the Bank of America Tower absolutely prohibits outside advertising of businesses within the building, even a simple sandwich board on the sidewalk (although the Florida Bank manages to do this).  The dry cleaner/convenience store can get around this restriction by displaying its wares in the window as you see.  Java Junction's location in the building lobby makes this impossible.  It's a shame.  She serves really good coffee.

[thelakelander]

That sounds like something DVI, JEDC or even the Mayors Office could work with property managers to resolve.  Since Java Junction is located right at the building's main entrance, all they need is a couple of outdoor umbrellas/seating with their logo on them.  There may also be some policies within our own code that lead to these types of decisions that may need to be reconsidered.  These are actions that won't cost the city a dime and will accomplish more than many big ticket public expenditures currently underway in DT.

[Keith-N-Jax]

Perhaps they don't want people to know, just saying.

[Hurricane]

GREAT article.  These are all simple and precise suggestions that should be done.  How can we get it done?  Who do we need to talk to???  Who should be our next mayor to actually get this moving?

[Lucasjj]

With all the money being spent on the Laura St improvement to increase pedestrian friendliness and create some vibrancy, this article definitely needs pushed to the appropriate people to try and implement these ideas.

If these stores fronts can be opened to the street and signage or other window dressings can be put out, to go along with completing the Laura st improvements, it would appear as quick results to people passing by. Which would hopefully increase hope and motivation to people that investing in downtown can produce results.

[simms3]

I'll take some pictures of 1180 Peachtree and the new 12th and Midtown buildings.  These are newer 2000s office buildings (glass, LEED, marble lobby class A office buildings) that have interaction with the streets.  The first one has a very successful restaurant/German brewhouse called Tap and other restaurants/stores that are both inside and street facing, but any ground floor tenant is allowed to have a sign on the building about 20 ft. above the street to let passersby know they are there.  The second development is the huge Daniel Corp/Selig Enterprises development which is actually similar to Enterprise Center downtown.  One side is the hotel and one side is the office building and they are connected with retail space that abuts the sidewalk.  In this development and their condo building across the street numerous places have opened up including a CB2 (Crate and Barrel) and an Equinox gym among about 4 restaurants and a couple of shops.

What bothers me is the building owners are so snobby about their buildings here in Jax.  Parmenter holds BofA in one of their funds and it is their best building and the nicest building in Jax, but come on it isn't even that nice (by big city standards).  They need to relax on it and quit treating the building like it is some Core trophy tower or some Park Ave high security thing.  And the Modis building?  The owners and their management company, which runs the security, is even more ridiculous.  This for a sort of class B building.

Unfortunately all of our office buildings were constructed in a time of isolationism and elitism (the 70s/80s) so they were built to separate the street people from the office people.  It's funny because there are really no "big shots" who need top security working practically anywhere in the city and even some of these "big shots" are ok with living normal lives amongst the people.

Great article.

[Bativac]

My wife once worked in a gym that was located in the Tower Mall. The owner of the gym was bleeding money and shut it down. Combination of super high rent and nobody outside of the building realizing there was a gym inside.

I wonder if the city's sign ordinance has anything to do with outside signage. It seems like it's unnecassarily confusing. Do we really need to make it anymore difficult for businesses to advertise themselves downtown? For example:
(b) Ground Floor Signs:
(1) Types:
(i) Multi-Story buildings with ground floor retail
sales or services tenants are allowed one square foot of signage
per every linear foot of street frontage for additional wall,
window, awning, canopy, or projecting signs. (See Figure 2).
Multiple signs will only be approved by DRC when it can be shown
that multiple signs significantly enhance the creative impact of
the signage concept and are not detrimental to the building, the
surrounding context or signage opportunities of adjoining uses.

[hanjin1]

for the longest time, i did not know there were stores inside the at&t building. funny thing is my wife works there and i picked her up from work everyday. then one day i had to go inside and saw all these places. i was amazed that there were no signs to let anyone outside know about this. it's like their own little world inside these buildings

[Rocshaboc]

Wow. How do they expect downtown to bring keep folk down there if they don't know what's there?!? I've driven a thousand times down there and had no clue. What am I supposed to look through brick walls to know? City leaders need to gather these businesses to encourage them to do something about this lack advertising madness. No wonder its so dormant downtown. Simple solutions to fix a greater problem. Awesome article. Metro for Mayor

[Actionville]

Really is pretty absurd

[second_pancake]

Have you guys every thought about doing things yourself to draw in the residents and show them not only what is already there but what it COULD be...guerilla style (see below for Ft. Worth and Oak Cliff (a neighborhoood very much like Springfield/downtown):

http://fortworthology.com/2010/10/04/guerilla-complete-streets-fort-worth-better-block-project-plus-fall-arts-goggle-report/