Roosevelt CVS moving... to Roosevelt.

[deathstar]

While driving to work today, many of you know I work at the Roosevelt Publix, I pull up to the tracks and peer over to my left to see the Papa Johns building all tore down. It's been common knowledge for awhile now that CVS was probably going to move there, just didn't realize how big of a space they'd take up.. I suppose it makes sense now. The current CVS is housed in the former Eckerds, and that leaves me to wonder what will go THERE next? Guess I should make a stop by there and ask, huh?

Any ideas of what it'll look like? I figure it'll have front parking as well as along the side, hopefully nothing like the nightmare that is the Walgreens on Blanding/Wilson.

[Cliffs_Daughter]

My guess is it'll look like the equal nightmare on the corner of Blanding & 103rd.

[I-10east]

It seems like all of the CVS's are moving from strip mall spots in favor of their own buildings, which is understandable for obvious reasons (drive thru).

[Captain Zissou]

I saw that monday night.  On the way  to Target I just saw that the huge parcel had been cleared.  I was really excited and started imagining all the great things that could go in there.  Even if it was something like the strip that houses Tijuana Flats and Hurricanes, that'd be an improvement.  On my way home from Target, I saw the CVS sign and nearly lost my mind.  Their lot is HUGE.  There is a CVS in Gainesville at 13th and 23rd that would look OK, but I'm sure it won't be like that.

[fieldafm]

I posted a rendering on here awhile back, but its no longer there... don't know what the deal is... but it will look a lot similar to the CVS at 103rd/Blanding.

[ricker]

is it too late to suggest they attempt to go with a more urban design like the gainesville location mentioned ^^?

Anything would be better than a 12,500sqft replica of the Wesconnett location.

8' ft fence the lot line which now leaves the first homes on the block partially exposed and move the parking to the interior side of the parcel.

I wonder what the onsite drainage requirements are?
pond or box?

cost to reposition. nil.
cost of red tape. inexcuseable.

[ricker]

IF eastbound Lexington were closed, something much more vertically interesting could have popped up there.

[ricker]

well, 3 houses are now gone.
pretty interesting brick one-and-a-half story asymetrical A frame with fireplace.
and 2 others razed create a larger parcel than it first appears.

I drove by the wesconnett store today just for reference.
it's ssoo bbooorring

[I-10east]

I never go to a pharmacy and admire it's architecture, just to buy medicine. If an area is in a suburban setting, why it's not a surprise to see a typical store/pharmacy/retail? Hmm, that seem to go hand and hand.  

[uptowngirl]

Retailers can get creative if they are forced too. In New Orleans the Walgreens on St. Charles had shutters over all the windows, and the Whole Foods utilized what was left of the old trolley barn (man that place is really pretty), and the highly contested Walmart that was built in the Lower Garden district kept an old brick wall from the previous warehouse building that completely blocked the view of the store from Tchoupitoulas, the city also required sinage compliance and I have never seen a smaller, less intrusive Walmart sign in my life-yet all three places were always very busy.

Alas I suppose it is cheaper to build a big cinder block box and through some stucco on it.

[deathstar]

I never go to a pharmacy and admire it's architecture, just to buy medicine.

I'm not concerned with the business, I'm sure it will do just fine, it's just an odd spot for one being that the history of the BP/Dunkin Donuts that was there before was known for back-ups and too close to call accidents. Plus, I wonder what the parking will be like, going from 4 rows to a small lot?

[Garden guy]

I find it rediculous for a company to leave a perfectly great new building just to build next door...makes no sense and a waist of money and our space.

[copperfiend]

I find it rediculous for a company to leave a perfectly great new building just to build next door...makes no sense and a waist of money and our space.

Alot of times it has to do with wanting to own their land or having dedicated parking.

[cline]

I find it rediculous for a company to leave a perfectly great new building just to build next door...makes no sense and a waist of money and our space.

Case in point, the Publix on University moved into a newly built store that was quite literally across the street from the old.  And to think they tout themselves as being green.

[fieldafm]

pretty interesting brick one-and-a-half story asymetrical A frame with fireplace.

I was really sad to see that home go.  Even as a kid, I always liked that house.  My dad and I were talking about that house the other day.  The one thing we both agreed on was that the Craftsman house that was originally behind the Shell at Roosevelt and St Johns was saved and moved behind the Blockbuster when the Shell/Daileys expanded.  Unfortunately, the house behind the old BP wasn't as practical or historically significant as one of the 4 remaining Craftsmans in Jax, but still a pretty cool 1940-built house was lost in this development.

it's just an odd spot for one being that the history of the BP/Dunkin Donuts that was there before was known for back-ups and too close to call accidents.

Having a drive-thru window 20 feet from the entrance of a heavily traversed street will do that.  The design of this store will not impact traffic the way the old Seafood Place/Dunkin Donuts building did.  The drive thru will be on the left hand side of the building and the driveway will allow traffic to flow behind the building.  This along with the parking needs of a typical big box was the reason so much land was aquired.  The scale will be a little large unfortunately.  Honestly, just take a look at the Wesconnet store like Ricker the other day, and the design and scale will be exactly the same.  Parking and traffic flow will not be a problem... the entrance/exit points will be completely different than the previous two commercial parcels.

I find it rediculous for a company to leave a perfectly great new building just to build next door...makes no sense and a waist of money and our space.

Well, its not really anyone's space but CVS'.  But you'd be suprised at the kind of increase in sales this store will have on that corner and with the redesign.  I've said it on here a few times, but Jax oftentimes acts as a testbed market for a lot of retail stores.  About a decade ago, Radio Shack rolled out a completely new store layout and more importantly a change in their previous real estate practices.  

They essentially wanted to test the drug store big box formula.  Five stores were relocated either at a major interesection(103rd/Blanding and University/Beach) or fronting a major thoroughfare (Atlantic Beach store across from the KMART, Monument Road across from the Hess Station and Dunn Avenue), and one new store was built at a major intersection(Atlantic/Hodges).  Those stores had IMPRESSIVE sales gains and the company has changed their real estate aquisition strategy accordingly.  If you've been to Panama City(as this is the closest example I can think of 'locally' off the top of my head), there is a store at a major thoroughfare that was built about 8 years ago specifically based on the results in Jacksonville and also Tuscon, AZ(where the same store format/location strategy was also tested).

I would surmise that CVS is going to see an increase in sales of around 30-40% by moving and expanding on that corner.  

That's specifically why I think the Park View Inn site is such a prime location for a big box drug store.