Jacksonville 9th best city for Shopping

[tufsu1]

Wawa rules!

[ricker]

wawa DOES  ruuuule and 
yeah the "TownCenter" wouldn't catch so much flak if it weren't ALL ONE FLAT SPRAWLING MESS.
developers plan and build like they've never heard of elevators or preserving a meadow.

[letters and numbers]

wow who knew?

[stjr]

NYC’s low number of major shopping centers also holds it back, although seasoned shoppers will know that New York City abounds in free-standing retail stores (over 75,000). Like New York, Boston is also penalized for its high prices and low number of mallsâ€"showing that shopping in cities might not be all it’s cracked up to be.

What do you make of the ranking? For those of you who think big box shopping is best, be sure we took the number of Walmarts into account when deciding what’s best. Like you, we can’t pass up a deal. Also taken into consideration were the number of major shopping centers (as provided by Esri), retail locations (U.S. Census), the Consumer Price Index (BLS data) and combined sales tax for each city. Click through the slideshow of our top cities by the numbers to find what’s important to youâ€"and what city is really “the best.”

From the above, its pretty obvious this survey was "rigged" to favor suburbia and penalize the bigger urban cores like NYC.  If they had a survey produce the results one would "expect" this wouldn't be "news" and we wouldn't be posting about it.  Surveys like this are proprietary "manufactured news" designed to cause a stir and attract eyeballs since "real news" is so pervasive on the internet today that offering it does not brand a site "unique" or distinctive anymore.  Time to move on.

[I-10east]

Sure places like NY has great department stores but IMO that hectic pedestrian style of shopping is highly overrated. It's confusing as stores can be spread out over city blocks; It's not so "compact" like many people think unless you're going to one store. The last I need to do is huff it for twenty blocks across the borough of Manhattan to go to another department store, while detering pickpockets, and dodging traffic. It's not so convenient like people wanna believe.

[Fallen Buckeye]

SJTC has a better layout than a lot of town centers. Have you ever been to River City Market Place? Way more sprawling than SJTC. There definitely is room for improvement such as the huge parking lot by Target, but still a cut above the others IMO.

[I-10east]

That RCMP "sprawl" sure do allow you to find a convenient parking spot unlike many times at SJTC. With that being I like both places.

[avonjax]

I currently work at RCMP and when customers ask about the location of other stores their first remark, is "oh I guess I have to drive there." RCMP IS HORRIBLE FOR WALKING.... Almost no one walks around. I think it probably hurts the smaller stores. There was a nice yogurt shop there that closed recently and I believe they were killed by no foot traffic. The comments are usually, "I'm really surprised they designed this center like this. And...you can park and walk around at SJTC." So although it's a nice addition to the Northside, after now being employed there, I stick to my opinion thats it is poorly laid out.

[avonjax]

And a side note....
There are people that work with me that live in the apartments next to RCMP. They are easily within walking distance, but there is no access to the center. Not even a gate. Zero walk-ability. A huge missed opportunity. Great planning you think?

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

I don't even know how you compare the two?  They're both designed around parking.  SJTC is horrible for walking due to the drive-by window shoppers, and RCMP is horrible due to the lack of walk-a-bility. 

IMO, they are both poorly planned, poorly executed, and a reason that I don't frequent either. 

If you want an outdoor mall, then compact the space and limit the vehicle traffic.  If you want a drive-thru mall, then eliminate the exterior sidewalks, put the storefronts on the main drag and move the foot traffic to the interior.

I'm not a planner, but I can 'see' it, why can't they?

[danno]

I have been to other Town Centers, the best I have seen is easton Town Center in Columbus OH.  I have friends that live in Easton Commons.  They seemed to have gotten the right mix of Parking and walkability as well as housing, office and retail.  Plenty of sidewalks for those who want to walk.

They have over 5000 parking spaces that are in garages.  Strret parking is metered and has a 1 hour time llimit.  I thought when SJTC was built it was going to be more like this.  They also have their own exit off of the interstate.

http://www.eastontowncenter.com/Map.aspx

[I-10east]

I have no problem with either SJTC's or RCMP's layouts'. If they were in DT with layouts like that, then I can see the problem, but since they are in suburban settings, I don't have any problem with them. IMO it makes no damn sense trying to put NYC's garment district in vast suburban Jax. Could they work on some things like access to adjacent housing? Yes, but for the most part it is what it is a suburban shopping center. I'm a "In and out" type of guy; Go in, get the crap that you need then get out; If I happen to see a shop I wanna stop by on the way, no problem; If it's close walk, if not fine then drive wow, that's brain surgery. Yesterday I went to Gander Mtn the get a hoodie; In and out, no problem. I didn't get hit by a car, and I didn't hit a pedestrian. Maybe alotta people (like me) do wanna walk down a pre-determined path away from your car to huff it to a store way out yonder. All the so called "good planning" (in the suburbs BTW) is gonna do is force you to walk down a pre determined path away from your car. The only people who don't like mall layouts like RCMP are the few urban planner types, thus being the reason why places like RCMP, and SJTC still are very successful.

[Ocklawaha]

Hey wait a minute, WE CAN'T BE one of the best... We don't have a train store! OCALA has 4! High Springs has 1, Orlando has 3, Tampa and Miami area's are loaded... I even heard that Gainesville has a tiny one in a garage or some such, hell, ST AUGUSTINE, has a micro-store trains and guns, but he only carry's Florida East Coast! Hum! Talk about team loyalty.

OKAY, SO THIS IS A BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY IN JACKSONVILLE! We have a couple of stores with a few train items, and Orange Park is a bit better off then 103rd. I'm talking 100% trains in the city with the most retired or active railroaders in the USA. Listing in Model Railroader, and an ad in NS, FEC and CSX employee magazines and you'd be off and running.

OCKLAWAHA

[Fallen Buckeye]

I'm not sure you'd call me an urban planner type. I guess I'm more nostalgic than anything. In the small town I'm from (Zanesville, OH pop. 25,000) there is a traditional downtown and one of those town centers. I'd take the downtown any day. And that's in a place where it gets pretty cold. I just think it's a waste to see all this land eaten up in parking lots that are rarely ever fully used (at least in many of the stores) and to have to drive everywhere (waste of gas). Plus you get the benefit of the exercise and you feel like you're in an actual community. I'm not convinced that these modern town centers are actually an improvement over the traditional town centers that have worked for generations. Maybe we should take a few lessons from the past.

[Overstreet]

....yeah the "TownCenter" wouldn't catch so much flak if it weren't ALL ONE FLAT SPRAWLING MESS. .......... preserving a meadow..........

If pulp wood forest could be called a medow?