Revitalizing Warehouse Districts: The Design District

[finehoe]

The Jacksonville version:

Developer unveils project to transform Jacksonville Warehouse District into suburban wasteland

Developer Raig Crobins’ plan to turn Jacksonville’s Warehouse District into a retail destination entails paving a four-acre parking lot in the heart of the compact neighborhood, which would also get an extensive makeover â€" by removing mature shade trees.
The ambitious scheme, which gets its first public airing before the city’s planning and zoning board on Wednesday, would create a smaller-scale version of any Wal-Mart location, though one lined with dollar stores, and dotted with fast food outlets and sun baked public plazas to discourage lingering.
“We’ve done the same thing we’ve always done, even though we know it’s never really worked,” Crobins said during a presentation to reporters Monday at the trash-strewn Warehouse District offices of the development group he leads, CRAPA. “It’s about redefining retail and creating a sterile suburban community at the heart of the city of Jacksonville.”
The detailed blueprint, which CRAPA submitted to the city last week as a “Special Area Plan’’ under the Jacksonville 19 zoning code, also makes room for adding a Motel 6 and around 10 units of housing in a mid-rise tower far from the actual shopping area.
Although the motel and residential piece would require a slight up-zoning, most of the plan â€" which covers 51 properties that CRAPA controls, or roughly 65 percent of the entire area â€" fits within existing zoning and would preserve the district’s low-scale character, Crobins said. But existing buildings would be razed, Crobins said.
Crobins, a key early figure in the redevelopment of LaVilla and founder of the Drive Everywhere fair, said CRAPA’s plan hopes to eliminate the architectural bones of the district, and its focus on low-end shopping will create “a neighborhood in name only.’’

[fieldafm]

Developer unveils project to transform Miami’s Design District into upscale pedestrian promenade



A proposed $312 million makeover of Miami’s Design District would carve out a mini-Lincoln Road mall with luxury fashion shops, restaurants and public spaces.

full article: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/06/04/2832902/developer-unveils-project-to-transform.html

Didn't read the article, but Washington Street in South Beach already has a successful pedestrian 'mall'.   

[Debbie Thompson]

LOL Finehoe.  Sad, but probably true.

[simms3]

Just checked out the Design District for the first time (and Midtown Miami nearby).  The Design District is definitely one of the hottest new districts for retailing with a Scotch and Soda, recently stole Cartier from Bal Harbor Shops, Armani Home, etc etc.  It's very very cool, I wouldn't say it's an area for the "creative class" any moreso than it's an area for rich Miami housewives to hang out in and feel cool.

I loved the area, but it's definitely Miami in that by "design" they mean "designer".  Atlanta has a similar district on the Westside with nearly all the same retailers in old warehouses and what not, and we have made no qualms about it that it's for yuppies and wealthy Buckhead Betties.

Midtown Miami was cheesy.  They got out of the ground at the wrong time and could only attract mediocre tenants, but the architecture of the highrise condos is fantastic.

So on one side of the highway (195/Julia Tuttle Causeway) you have Ross, Carter's, Homegoods, Hurricane Grill, Loehmanns, Marhsalls, Massage Envy, Party City, Payless Shoesource, etc all in a fabricated development.  On the other side in the District you have Christian Louboutin, Cartier, Jonathan Adler, Prada Home, Armani Home, Louis Vuitton, Yamamoto, Scotch and Soda, etc etc.

[finehoe]

Dacra leasing new Design District phase

Bal Harbour Shops just a few years ago was Miami's ground zero for luxury retail brands, but that has changed. About 18 months ago, pioneering real estate developer Dacra, in partnership with L Real Estate, began plans for Miami Design District, a low-rise shopping enclave that features pedestrian promenades, lush landscaping and a definite upscale feel.

The developers have set out to create a destination mall to better its peers. "My hope is that, if there is one place you have to go in Miami, this will be it," said Craig Robins, Dacra CEO and founder.

At buildout, the $2 billion mixed-use development will boast 1.1 million square feet of retail, a hotel, low-rise residential units, restaurants and four garages. It's set on a four-block parcel on Northeast First Avenue from Northeast 38th to 42nd streets, and is planned around a landscaped pedestrian promenade.

"Leasing is going extraordinarily well," Mr. Robins said. "We've secured 50 major luxury brands, including Hermes, Cartier. Dior, Armani, Prada, Celine, Marc Jacobs and others."

Many of the high-ticket retailers have abandoned their Bal Harbour spaces and have chosen the Design District as their only Miami location. Some, including Prada and Armani, have chosen to maintain stores in both centers.

With phases I and II leased, except for one space "in case somebody great comes along," Mr. Robins said, Dacra is now focusing on leasing phase III, which is mainly on Northeast 40th and 41st streets. "We did a major renovation on 39th Street," Mr. Robins said, installing about 300 30-year-old native trees to create a welcoming space. "We've created roof gardens."

Many of the stores moving in have created two- and three-story flagships that are noteworthy in their design, he added.

Case in point: Helmut Lang and Theory have signed a lease for 5,000 square feet at 101 NE 40th St. The two-story building features high ceilings and the purveyors of luxury goods will get to design their own façade.

Audemars Piguet, Bulgari, Burberry, Dolce & Gabanna, Givenchy, Harry Winston, Hublot, Tiffany & Co., Tod's, Valentino, Versace, Zadig & Voltaire and Zegna have opened or are expected to open soon.

"The needs and wants of the retailer and consumer have both changed," said Tony Arellano, executive vice president of Metro 1 Properties, speaking about Miami Design District last fall. "Tom Ford, Theory, Helmut Lang, Ferragamo – these are brands you can buy at Saks. They have instead chosen to create their own flagships. It's an ode to the brand."

As the shopping destination grows, so will the demand for restaurants. "There are 16 new restaurants in the neighborhood, wonderful ones," Mr. Robins said. Dacra, he said, is in discussion with chef-owner Jean-Georges Vongerichten to open a restaurant there. In the neighborhood are MC Kitchen, A Crumb on Parchment, Mandolin, Michael's Genuine Food and Drink, Oak Tavern, Harry's Pizzeria, The Cypress Room and others.

The Institute of Contemporary Art, which moved to the neighborhood in December, and the long-established Design and Architecture Senior High demonstrate the area's ties to art and design.

"This district has years and years of history in furniture design, galleries and other forms of art," Mr. Robins said. He said he hopes the new enclave will be a draw to visitors who have never experienced this side of a Miami neighborhood that was largely forgotten as development moved west to the suburbs.

"Everybody is welcome; parking in the garages is $3," Mr. Robins said. "It's an asset to our community and it belongs to all of us. That's one of the really nice things that we can share."

http://www.miamitodaynews.com/2015/04/08/dacra-leasing-new-design-district-phase/