Shipyards tower postponed indefinitely.

[vicupstate]

The phase 1 'Tower' is postponed indefinitely.  Landmar will pursue a mid-rise mixed-use urban village instead.  This is due to the market downturn.  They expect to have a new plan in place in 6 months or so.

[thelakelander]

You can't claim you didn't see this coming.  The price point has always been questionable and the real estate market certainly does not help.  Landmar has also stopped building many of their suburban residential projects.  Nevertheless, didn't they have construction deadline dates to meet with the deal they cooked up with the city?

[vicupstate]

Because it takes less time to build a mid-rise vs. a high-rise, the finish dates will be similiar.  I think they have til 2010 or 2011 to have something either started or completed.

[thelakelander]

I was thinking they had to start construction in 2007.  Maybe that was just the riverwalk?

[tufsu1]

The phase 1 'Tower' is postponed indefinitely.  Landmar will pursue a mid-rise mixed-use urban village instead.  This is due to the market downturn.  They expect to have a new plan in place in 6 months or so.

a mid-rise project makes more sense anyway....while some on this site want to see high-rise condo and office buildings all over downtown, its the low and mid-rise buildings that help generate street activity without blocking the sun!

[thelakelander]

I agree.  Personally, I'd love to see them work some kind of urban street grid into that site.

[big ben]

The phase 1 'Tower' is postponed indefinitely.  Landmar will pursue a mid-rise mixed-use urban village instead.  This is due to the market downturn.  They expect to have a new plan in place in 6 months or so.

a mid-rise project makes more sense anyway....while some on this site want to see high-rise condo and office buildings all over downtown, its the low and mid-rise buildings that help generate street activity without blocking the sun!

also, it seems like we should maybe walk before we run, aka build medium before giants.  i don't know what size they were planning on building, though, and that might be too much of a generalization summed up into one statement, though.

[thelakelander]

The cancelted tower was supposed to be around 38 stories in height, or a little taller than the Peninsula.

[big ben]

The cancelted tower was supposed to be around 38 stories in height, or a little taller than the Peninsula.

that does seem a little tall for the current market, especially with a tower currently being built and another starting soon across the stream there.  do they know how tall they're thinking for a mid-rise, mixed-use etc yet?  i realize there isn't a plan yet, but i was wondering if anyone had heard any ideas.

[Steve]

Waiting on the St. John to say the same thing.  In this market, 300K for a one bedroom was a bit steep.

[Ocklawaha]

Just hard to believe that with all the really large companies here, and a hand full of fortune 500's or 1,000's we can't seem to bust the 30+ story bar.

I agree at a sea of 20's is great, but I for one would love to see a 70+ rise from the core. Something that makes a statement to the rest of Florida... Like the FINGER in San Francisco!

Ocklawaha

[big ben]

Just hard to believe that with all the really large companies here, and a hand full of fortune 500's or 1,000's we can't seem to bust the 30+ story bar.

I agree at a sea of 20's is great, but I for one would love to see a 70+ rise from the core. Something that makes a statement to the rest of Florida... Like the FINGER in San Francisco!

i think the problem might be all that empty land around jtb and similar areas that have room for companies to build short/stubby buildings with 40+ acres of parking around them for cheaper than downtown.  is the land that much cheaper, or do they desire that area that much more?  there are ways the city could change both if they tried hard enough.  the question would be how much does the city actually want business downtown?

what's this finger in san francisco?

[chris]

What everyone has to take into consideration with 30+ story buildings in Florida is the massive insurance required on the building, and to construct one on the water in Jax, where the riverfront is basically a man made dock and therefore a horrible flood zone, is absolutely astronomical. Also, LandMar lost a ton of money when Auchter pulled out and had to wait for a new contractor to write up contracts and pricing, which took them forever to find, and they had to settle with aiming at a smaller risk to entice anyone into the mix, lest they become the next Auchter-like scenario.

Its really a series of bad situations, coupled with city planners allowing for and facilitating increased development on the outskirts of town., all the while singing the praises of downtown development. What really should be happening is lower density on the outskirts in order to beef up density in the city center.instead of the other way around. Otherwise we're going to end up with an even more fragmented county like Atlanta's suburbs. Can you imagine a 30+story tower at St. Johns Town Center? Better believe it!

[big ben]

Can you imagine a 30+story tower at St. Johns Town Center? Better believe it!

they're not far off with buildings close to there.

[vicupstate]

Just hard to believe that with all the really large companies here, and a hand full of fortune 500's or 1,000's we can't seem to bust the 30+ story bar.

I agree at a sea of 20's is great, but I for one would love to see a 70+ rise from the core. Something that makes a statement to the rest of Florida... Like the FINGER in San Francisco!

i think the problem might be all that empty land around jtb and similar areas that have room for companies to build short/stubby buildings with 40+ acres of parking around them for cheaper than downtown.  is the land that much cheaper, or do they desire that area that much more?  there are ways the city could change both if they tried hard enough.  the question would be how much does the city actually want business downtown?

I think you hit the nail on the head.  I think it is both.  The cost will always play a factor, but also the city's big businesses  (Fidelity excepted) do not see the inherit value in a successful, vibrant DT. 

In Charlotte, Downtown (called Uptown) is "THE" corporate address.  There is a huge 'peer pressure' biase in city government and the white collar business sector to be there, rather than the suburbs.  The DT office vacancy rate there is the lowest in the nation and the third lowest of ALL US metro's areas since 1985.  Jax's Dt class A vacancy rate bobs between 12-20% versus 1-2.5% in Charlotte.  This is despite the fact DT Charlotte lease rates are about $10 per foot higher.