DDRB to Evaluate Revisions to Brooklyn Retail Project

[Metro Jacksonville]

DDRB to Evaluate Revisions to Brooklyn Retail Project



Fuqua Development's proposed Riverside Avenue commercial project is back before the Downtown Development Review Board and the site design appears to be more pedestrian unfriendly than the previous concept.


Full Article
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2013-may-ddrb-to-evaluate-revisions-to-brooklyn-retail-project-

[fieldafm]

geeze, thats freaking worse

[JeffreyS]

Not sure being on the April 4 meeting agenda will help us out all that much.  The site certainly needs to be improved for pedestrian purposes this is southside site plan.

[dougskiles]

Has DDRB ever denied a site plan?  Or have they become a rubber stamping committee?

[Charles Hunter]

April 4 agenda?  It is May 1st.
Not liking putting the required landscaping in the JTA corridor.  If JTA ever does use it, there is no way it will ever reappear on the site.
Don't really like much of the proposed changes ... suburban development in Brooklyn.

[JFman00]

Indescribably awful.

[brainstormer]

These changes make the site look like the corner of Beach and Hodges.  There are ways to accommodate parking requirements within urban settings.  I seriously hope that the DDRB has the balls to deny this plan.

[ben says]

Southside, meet Brooklyn. Brooklyn, meet Southside.

[jcjohnpaint]

I would rather a grassy field with grazing cows over this.
What the hell is different? 

[Cheshire Cat]

Awful plan! 

[dougskiles]

I am fed up with our city being held hostage by the demands of national chains.  What they are arguing is that these chains won't come if they don't get their ridiculously high parking ratios and suburban building placement.  It's basically design-by-prototype.

It is fine with me if they stay away.  I much prefer the locally owned businesses anyhow.

[Cheshire Cat]

I am fed up with our city being held hostage by the demands of national chains.  What they are arguing is that these chains won't come if they don't get their ridiculously high parking ratios and suburban building placement.  It's basically design-by-prototype.

It is fine with me if they stay away.  I much prefer the locally owned businesses anyhow.

^All of the above. 

[JeffreyS]

I think just like with the other Brooklyn projects if they hold the developer to the appropriate standards he/she will comply. If he/she doesn't well don't let the door hit ya.

[fieldafm]

Has DDRB ever denied a site plan?  Or have they become a rubber stamping committee?

I think you're on to something here.  Tom Murphy gave a great speech about this very subject during One Spark.  Really wish more DDRB members besides Chris Flagg were there.

[thelakelander]

I agree with JeffreyS. I also wouldn't blame the national chains at this point.  They may have certain site criteria requirements, such as number of parking spaces but they don't typically demand a certain overall development design.  For example, an entity like Publix may require a certain amount of dedicated parking spaces but they don't necessarily say where all the complementing specialty retail or outparcels should be.  Speaking from experience, the site design process is being controlled by the developer/architect/engineer more so than a CVS or Walgreens.

Just looking at this site, there's clearly a better way to incorporate chain requirements while also shielding surface parking.  However, we'll probably never get to that stage because we historically have a pattern of caving in.