Khan: Downtown's Laura Street Trio redevelopment deal 'alive but on life support

[duvaldude08]

nope

[Cheshire Cat]

There is an article in the June edition of the Resident Community News for Avondale, Ortega, Riverside and Murray Hill about this deal on page 13.  I think Ennis knows where to go online to download from the Resident paper. Perhaps he may post it if possible,  I can't find anything in it that links to a PDF.  Anyway, as to current statues the paper tried to contact Stephen Atkins for comments and his phone was indicated as being disconnected. They were unable to find out anything more.

[thelakelander]

Here's a link to the article:

The Old Testament tells of a prophet named Ezekiel who saw dry, lifeless bones in a valley. God gave him a vision and told him to prophesy to the bones. When Ezekiel did, the bones connected to each other, stood on their feet and became a great army.

The Laura Street Trio â€" the Marble Bank Building, the Florida Life Building and the Bisbee Building â€" plus the old Barnett Bank Building could be likened to those parched bones.
Purchased in April by a development company headed by Stephen Atkins and backed by Jaguars owner, Shahid Khan, the buildings stand silent and tomb-like at the corner of Laura and Forsyth Streets on a block forgotten by commuters racing past.

The acquisition may represent growth for Jacksonville’s downtown, and Atkins might be a prophet foretelling the City’s future.
Downtown momentum

Wiat Bowers is an urban planner with a local consulting firm who purchased a home in Jacksonville’s urban core in 2006. Downtown was on the cusp of exploding in a good way, he said.“Then, the recession hit, and that stymied everything.”

http://residentnews.net/2013/06/04/downtowns-laura-street-trio-barnett-bank-building-face-uncertain-future/

[Cheshire Cat]

Thanks for putting up the link Ennis.  You are the "magic man"! 

[tufsu1]

not sure there is much info. about the latest on the Trio and Barnett projects in this article....the writer tried to contact Steve Atkins but was not successful

[comncense]

A part of me was just a lil agitated to hear about the Khan/Shipyards 'thing' when nothing so far as come of the Khan/Trio 'thing'. I guess I have developed the typical Jacksonville "I'll believe it when I see it" attitude. I'd just like to see the Trio with a concrete plan before moving on to something as huge as the Shipyards.

[duvaldude08]

A part of me was just a lil agitated to hear about the Khan/Shipyards 'thing' when nothing so far as come of the Khan/Trio 'thing'. I guess I have developed the typical Jacksonville "I'll believe it when I see it" attitude. I'd just like to see the Trio with a concrete plan before moving on to something as huge as the Shipyards.

Well Khan has little do with anything. He's just providing the possible financing. He's not a developer so he has no control of making the move forward. He has nothing to do with the concreate plans for the trio. He's just bankrolling. However, the Shipyards is something he's personally has idea's for. So IMO the two projects have little in common aside from the fact his investment firm is interested in financing.

[Cheshire Cat]

not sure there is much info. about the latest on the Trio and Barnett projects in this article....the writer tried to contact Steve Atkins but was not successful

I think it was the "phone" being disconnected as to the "unsuccessful" attempt which seems odd considering all of the attention drawn to the project to be followed by no announcement at One Spark and then a phone for contact with the main driver of the project disconnected.  So is no news good news or something else?

[icarus]

Does anyone have any idea what happened with this project? Any news?

[KenFSU]

Does anyone have any idea what happened with this project? Any news?

They don't want to take attention away from One Spark 2014.

Announcement coming shortly thereafter...

[acme54321]

Does anyone have any idea what happened with this project? Any news?

They don't want to take attention away from One Spark 2014.

Announcement coming shortly thereafter...

[jcjohnpaint]

Maybe they meant the next one spark

[icarus]

makes sense its called the Trio ... our own personal Bermuda triangle of development ... hopefully they announce something soon.

[Rynjny]

http://jacksonville.com/business/real-estate/2013-08-17/story/hotel-restaurants-bank-planned-historic-laura-street-trio?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Really hope they could get this done.

[mtraininjax]

When I read that Langton may pull out of developments downtown if the City pulled their downtown investments, it meant to me that the City needs stronger leaders with better connections to Community Leaders. I don't see any forward progress in downtown growth under Brown, he has no plan, just an idea here, there and cannot get anyone to follow a master plan. Of course he will take credit for OneSpark, but OneSpark is bigger than any one person. Very disappointed with the lack of progress downtown, other than to take away the chess tables in Hemming Plaza. Ugh!