Fresh Market on Riverside Ave!

[geo]

Via Jax Biz Journal

http://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/news/2012/10/03/fresh-market-considering-riverside.html

[KEGreene1]

I hope this happens.  I drive out to the one in Julington Creek.  Would be nice to have one in our backyard.

[copperfiend]

That would be terrific if it happened.

[Jason]

Just look at the site plan and you'll be singing a different tune.  The commercial development indicated is a suburban layout with a large parking lot fronting Riverside....  IMO, it would fit the context of the neighborhood much better if it were part of a mixed use multi-level structure.

http://www.fuquadevelopment.com/files/jacksonville/riversideandjackson.pdf

[Bill Hoff]

That's 3 miles from my house in Springfield.....sounds good to me. My wife would be happy, that's for sure.

[thelakelander]

I've heard rumors of this commercial project for a while now. It's nice to see it moving forward.  The site plan is bad but I don't see why it can't be modified like the residential component behind it was.  Swap the building/parking lot locations, similar to Sawgrass Village in Ponte Vedra or the Publix in Riverside and it works pretty well.



This will basically come down to the backbone of the DDRB and DIA to make sure the site design fits in properly with its surroundings.

[ben says]

I love Grassroots and Publix, but please Fresh Market, come to Riverside!! Perfect compliment between the two pre-existing grocery stores.

[thelakelander]

It should also definitely shut up the stuff about there not being a grocery downtown, despite the Winn Dixie on Union Street.  However, if these projects (200 Riverside, Riverside Park, etc.) are coming on line by 2014, JTA needs to go ahead and get to work on at least opening a skyway station at their Riverside Avenue maintenance yard.

[riverside planner]

The site plan needs some work, but otherwise this is great news for the downtown area.  Now to see it come to fruition...

[chipwich]

I really love the fact that all these projects are coming to Brooklyn.  A Fresh Market would be amazing there.    I'll take what we can get, but am I the only one looking at site plan thinking it looks a bit too suburban for this part of the core?

Again, If this is as good as it gets, I'll it any day of the week over abandoned grassland, but it looks rather suburban to me.

[simms3]

I've heard rumors of this commercial project for a while now. It's nice to see it moving forward.  The site plan is bad but I don't see why it can't be modified like the residential component behind it was.  Swap the building/parking lot locations, similar to Sawgrass Village in Ponte Vedra or the Publix in Riverside and it works pretty well.



This will basically come down to the backbone of the DDRB and DIA to make sure the site design fits in properly with its surroundings.

Development partnership of Pope & Land and Jeff Fuqua/Fuqua Dev (both Atlanta-based, the latter formerly with Sembler, which did Riverside Ave Publix shopping center).  I really don't think the development is spectacular (in fact it would be considered CRAP elsewhere), but anything for that area is better than nothing, I suppose, and Fresh Market would be BIG news.

Fuqua's development plans in Atlanta have been put on ice after city council has blocked his attempts at land use changes to incorporate big box retail in with residential, and he has also been shut down in Denver.  He has made a horrible reputation for himself as a Walmart pimp, but fortunately neither city is desperate enough for new development to cow tow to his plans (which are all similar I might add to the above, with denser residential component).

Plans for Buckhead Walmart Near Lindbergh City Center Fall Short in City Council

Bait And Switch: Walmart Wants In On 9th And Colorado Blvd.

http://fuquadevelopment.com/

Here is the flyer for the project, called Riverside and Jackson (we have already seen this, BTW):

http://www.fuquadevelopment.com/files/jacksonville/riversideandjackson.pdf

Here is what was just SHOT DOWN:

Lindbergh Place is a high density mix-use transit oriented development located in the heart of the Buckhead neighborhood of Atlanta, across from the MARTA station. The project will include 175,000 sq ft of retail with a grocery store, 225 residential units and a 3-acre urban park. The park is a major addition to the area and will be beautifully appealing for the community.

http://www.fuquadevelopment.com/files/atlanta/lindberghplace.pdf

and more quotes about Fuqua for your reading pleasure:

God help you folks in Atlanta. We in Denver are fighting Fuqua who got all this special zoning approved and then announced he was bringing in Walmart. Fuqua has a history of not fulfilling his promises, so don't expect to see the trail, etc. Highlands and another community near Denver, Ellich Gardens successfully opposed a Walmart destroying their neighborhood and area businesses, that's what we're hoping to do. If you think Fuqua doesn't work for Walmart - you're dreaming. Check out these papers re: Fuqua/Walmart in Cherry Creek Chronicle and Denver Post.

Dora - He tried to pull the same thing here (TIF funding) when he was still with Sembler, the evil company that spawned him when they proposed Town Brookhaven. They were turned down by DeKalb County, but built it anyway. Don't believe ANYTHING this guy tells you folks. He's a snake, plain and simple.

Actually Town Sembler in Brookhaven was on its way to getting insane tax subsidies but that information got out and citizens went ballistic which blocked the subsidy package. Nevertheless, they still got another subsidy that involved a sale lease back with the DeKalb Development authority that didn't need commissioner approval. Granted it was not as large a subsidy. But the site plan also went through several revisions.

With that said its not horrible for the area except that it is too far from the MARTA station and thus should have not had that density and it demolished decent work force housing that was there.

I live in Denver, CO and we are currently fighting Fuqua and one of his urban Walmart developments. He wants to put it right in the middle of numerous historic neighborhoods. We are having similar concerns regarding traffic and poor urban planning. I haven't met anyone here who likes him or his plans. He has been deceptive and outright lied to us many times. We hope he will go away!! And I hope you can stop him too!! Our website is stopwalmartcolorado.com if you want to check out what is happening here.

Just keep an eye on this development and be careful what you wish for.  With this particular guy it might actually be better to have available land than some of the crap he has tried to build in the past.  He has to deploy capital for his investors and he may just be looking to throw money at easy crap in Jacksonville to get some money out the door, so watch out.  As you can tell, folks in Atlanta and Denver really love him, LoL (actually he probably needs armed protection!)

Creative Loafing always has interesting and informed posters:

http://clatl.com/freshloaf/archives/2012/09/19/fuqua-on-proposed-development-incorrect-to-say-walmart-is-tenant-well-build-part-of-beltline-trail

[jtwestside]

This would be AWESOME! I'd like to think that my wife had something to do with this. Literally last Sunday as we were on our way home from Fresh Market she emailed them to tell then that they needed on in the Ortega/Riverside Avondale /Springfield area! 

[Adam W]

Great news. It's a good location and would be an awesome addition for Riverside and for Downtown. I love Fresh Market.

[simms3]

I'm surprised there aren't more negative opinions of the site plan.  The development would fit in better next to SJTC than right in Brooklyn, FYI.  It's going to be CHEAP stucco stick apartments, surface parking (essentially suburban garden apartments) with a strip center next door.  I know the allure of Fresh Market is strong, but are we really going to **** all the developers' **** to get that Fresh Market?

This is an example of deploying capital as fast as possible and using whatever past relationships you have to do so (Lincoln, Pope & Land, Fuqua - all Atl buddies, then Fresh Market and Panera - both have working relationships with the developers...good thing it's not a Walmart as Fuqua has proposed in nearly all of his other devs).

Pope & Land owns the land - 4 blocks.  Why is the partnership trying to develop all 4 blocks at once?  Why not test the market with a better/riskier product (but actually less risk bc less size).  Incorporate the Fresh Market *into* a multifamily structure (still stick, not too far above market rate rents) and provide covered/concealed parking.

[fsujax]

Give it a rest Simms. Geez. Just chill out.