Myrtle Avenue Warehouse District

[Metro Jacksonville]

Myrtle Avenue Warehouse District



Metro Jacksonville explores downtown's most overlooked urban district and shares a little history of what took place in its buildings: The Myrtle Avenue Warehouse District.

Full Article
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2011-jul-myrtle-avenue-warehouse-district

[Noone]

The same reevaluation of zoning and uses needs to include the Waterways of our St. Johns River our American Heritage River. How close is McCoys Creek to this revitalized urban district?

[vicupstate]

Interesting examples from Columbus and K.C.  That Columbus Convention Center looks huge.

[Ocklawaha]

This district and the Durkeeville business district are reason number 1 why the streetcar needs to use MYRTLE AVENUE to access points north or south of the railroad.  The Myrtle Avenue subway under the railroad tracks dates to the early 1900's, and the tunnel portion was lengthened for the opening of the huge 1919 railroad terminal. The central part of the tunnel where the box culvert runs through today was designed for streetcars. The floor of the tunnel is considerably deeper under that culvert where the tracks are, and guess what? The floor of the lowest part of the streetcar tunnel is designed to DRAIN WATER. Anyone who has seen those tunnels after a good rain storm understands how important those drains were before they laid that stupid culvert over the top of them.

A catalyst to the redevelopment of the warehouse district is found in the streetcar using Myrtle. The streetcar would also have the effect of pulling development west from Riverside and Park and thus filling in and redeveloping a large amount of now vacant land in Brooklyn; killing several birds with one stone.

As for McCoys Creek, this area is west of I-95 and north of the railroad, generally putting it several blocks from the creek.

Imagine what a streetcar and revitalized Myrtle Avenue might do for McCoys Creek, I can see it now, "Noones Urban Kayak Adventure Outfitters."

OCKLAWAHA

[thelakelander]

Noone, in this aerial you can see the location of McCoys Creek (left side of image) and the Myrtle Avenue District (highlighted in yellow). 



Just south of the Myrtle Avenue subway, there is also a small cluster of buildings dating back to 1909.  Here are a few images:

[urbanlibertarian]

I've worked in this area for 30 years and it hasn't changed much during that time.  Thanks for the historical and business info.

[Gravity]

Great research.

I think re-reusing that myrtle underpass for some kind of public transit branch onto that side of town would be a great and less-expensive kick off point for a city wide transit system that actually works, and could revitalize the potential this area has for industry.

[avs]

In 2007, the Jacksonville City Council passed an Industrial Land Preservation Bill intended to keep industrial land in the city from being rezoned for non-industrial uses

So now in Jax you can't redevelop empty warehouses into adaptive re-use projects?  For real?

[thelakelander]

If your property falls within one of the industrial preservation zoning overlays, it means turning an old brick warehouse into something like an art gallery or residential loft won't be allowed without getting council approval for rezoning (and paying the extra fees and time that comes with that process).

[avs]

wow.  the backward thinking in this town continues to amaze me. 

The incentives for developing an arts district is something I always wanted to see in Springfield.  Several cities have done such things, including KC in the article.  I am glad to see the push for artist's housing downtown. That will help bring not only more but a new population downtown.  It could also be a great way to re-use the old industrial buildings along Myrtle Ave. as well.  Lets hope this city is starting to grow up a little

[simms3]

Castleberry Hill in Atlanta is now a hotbed for artists, galleries, and restaurants.  It is south of downtown and is definitely the best example of a warehouse district in the south.  Granted, its building stock was much more confined and generally larger, so there was more to work with.

Developed in the late 1800s and early 1900s, Castleberry Hill was desolate and rough from about 1920 to the 1980s.  The population in 1992 was 150 residents living in 120 lofts.  Now there are 1,000-1,500 residents in a roughly 12-13 small city block area and a plethora of new apartments within walking distance.  It is a federally recognized historic district.

I think it will be tough to get a warehouse district going in Jacksonville with or without easy regulation because there just isn't the type of warehouse stock necessary to get the same feel.  I do think we can use what little there is and build in a warehouse loft type manner and provide a 21st century twist to what is available in the older/larger/midwestern cities.

[peestandingup]

If your property falls within one of the industrial preservation zoning overlays, it means turning an old brick warehouse into something like an art gallery or residential loft won't be allowed without getting council approval for rezoning (and paying the extra fees and time that comes with that process).

Wow. Because there is just SOO much industrial manufacturing left in America today.

WTF is wrong with these people? What, do they think all of this industrial building stock is just gonna magically bounce back & pick up right where it left off??

[Charles Hunter]

The primary reason the industrial preservation overlay was passed, was, back during the housing boom, every vacant square foot of land was being rezoned residential.  This included land near the port and airport.  People would move in, then object to increases or expansion of the industrial stuff next door.  Never mind that the industry was there first.  An unintended consequence is in areas like the Myrtle corridor and others, where industry is gone and not coming back.

[thelakelander]

Castleberry Hill in Atlanta is now a hotbed for artists, galleries, and restaurants.  It is south of downtown and is definitely the best example of a warehouse district in the south.  Granted, its building stock was much more confined and generally larger, so there was more to work with.

I like Castleberry Hill but its no where near the best example of an authentic urban warehouse district in the South.  That would be a battle between New Orleans' Warehouse District and Richmond's Shockoe Slip/ Bottom.  Both have 19th century level density and are pretty vibrant at street level.  Unless things have changed since 2009 (my last time visiting Castleberry Hill), I remember Castleberry Hill being a lot more spread out with smaller historic structures than the two mentioned above and shown below.

New Orleans Warehouse District


Richmond's Shockoe Slip/Bottom

I think it will be tough to get a warehouse district going in Jacksonville with or without easy regulation because there just isn't the type of warehouse stock necessary to get the same feel.  I do think we can use what little there is and build in a warehouse loft type manner and provide a 21st century twist to what is available in the older/larger/midwestern cities.

I don't.  Every city tends to be unique in its own right.  For every Shockoe Bottom, there's a Channel District in a port city like Tampa, a Design District in a cosmopolitan place like Miami or a Congaree Vista District in a smaller community like Columbia, SC:

Tampa's Channel District


Miami's Design District


Columbia's Congaree Vista District


What happens in Jax will/should have its own flavor.  However,  that creativity and innovation can't be released if we keep enacting policies to keep natural organic change from happening.  Regarding Jacksonville, we had one of the most compact and architecturally unique industrial districts in the south along Bay Street and our waterfront but other than a survivor or two (like the Churchwell Lofts, Maxwell House, etc.), that district is long gone. 

Today, I think the most architecturally unique is the Springfield Warehouse District and the most urban may be Dennis Street.  As for an Atlanta example that Myrtle Street probably resembles in terms of historic building scale, imo, its Marietta Street between Centennial Olympic Park and the Club Compound area (minus the new urban infill of course).

[thelakelander]

The primary reason the industrial preservation overlay was passed, was, back during the housing boom, every vacant square foot of land was being rezoned residential.  This included land near the port and airport.  People would move in, then object to increases or expansion of the industrial stuff next door.  Never mind that the industry was there first.  An unintended consequence is in areas like the Myrtle corridor and others, where industry is gone and not coming back.

The reason behind the industrial preservation bill was a solid one.  Unfortunately, those in charge didn't have the ability to look at things holistically and consider that a one size fits all solution can't apply to a city as diverse as Jacksonville.  So while the concept definitely helps set aside riverfront land for future expansion of port related facilities, it further cripples a struggling decaying area like Myrtle Avenue or Springfield's Warehouse District.