New-look Five Points Village under construction after 2012 fire

[thelakelander]

An FTU article about the reconstruction of Five Points Village:

The city also wanted the stores pushed up to Margaret Street with parking in back. But he didn't agree to that.

"It just wasn't feasible," he said. "You have to have two fronts; there'd be no place for deliveries."

So the center is staying where it was, on the back of the property with the parking in front.

"It looks like a brand-new version of old Riverside," he said.

Sleiman claims he has the most parking in Riverside for the size of his center. He'll have about 17,500 square feet, a little less than it used to be.

There will be seven storefronts, down from the nine it used to have. No leases have been signed, and none of the previous tenants have leases either.

Three will be restaurants, he said, most likely fast casual. He mentioned all the usual suspects: Asian, a breakfast place, Tex-Mex, a sandwich place ...

"Lunch does really well here," he said, "because of the parking."

full article: http://jacksonville.com/business/2013-08-29/story/new-look-five-points-village-under-construction-after-2012-fire#ixzz2dS4WEK1Q[/quote]

[Dapperdan]

So I guess stores in Manhattan never get deliveries? What a ridiculous statement. I am convinced Sleiman is about as imaginative as a piece of blank paper when it comes to building shopping centers. It also sounds like he wants to bring in low budget business there. Whats wrong with aiming higher and working with Trader Joe's or something like that? Would it have been feasible to put a loading zone parallel parking area on Margaret Street? I am just confused by this whole article and how he refused to do things the city wanted done.

[avonjax]

This is Jacksonville. Land of the bland and anti progressive minds.

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

I guess that's been the point of the majority of these threads:  Developers are going to do what makes the easiest, quickest buck for them, and without the minimum standards changing, then developers are not going to change their habits. 

If he was required to maintain minimum setbacks, add public amenities and adjust parking, then he would have.  As long as our laws in place still allow sprawling, cheap strip malls to go up, then they'll continue to go up. 

So to your point, and this is conjecture only to prove my point:  Sleimen might be one of the most progressive thinking minds out there, but he KNOWS that he will make more money, sooner by just rebuilding what was there.  Why change?  Is it his neighborhood?  Is he the one living beside it?  Does he make more money by building a 'nicer' project or one that meets the minimum requirements?

[JayBird]

I guess that's been the point of the majority of these threads:  Developers are going to do what makes the easiest, quickest buck for them, and without the minimum standards changing, then developers are not going to change their habits. 

If he was required to maintain minimum setbacks, add public amenities and adjust parking, then he would have.  As long as our laws in place still allow sprawling, cheap strip malls to go up, then they'll continue to go up. 

So to your point, and this is conjecture only to prove my point:  Sleimen might be one of the most progressive thinking minds out there, but he KNOWS that he will make more money, sooner by just rebuilding what was there.  Why change?  Is it his neighborhood?  Is he the one living beside it?  Does he make more money by building a 'nicer' project or one that meets the minimum requirements?

+100

[copperfiend]

I would say the inmates run the asylum. But the inmates actually just make large campaign donations to the people running the asylum. It will never change until the same types keep getting voted in.

[Tacachale]

Of course another option is that he just didn't renovate it and left the old format in place. What it really shows is how long we have to deal with the bad policies that approved this design back in the 70s. Now it will be there even longer.

[Stephen]

I find it very interesting that the powers that be who made the Mellow Mushroom project and the Fishweir Creek/ Commander Development such a stygian hell can not bring it on themselves to howl and make life miserable for this Sleiman fellow...A strip mall in Five Points? Thats a crazy idea.

[PeeJayEss]

I find it very interesting that the powers that be who made the Mellow Mushroom project and the Fishweir Creek/ Commander Development such a stygian hell and not bring it on themselves to howl and make life miserable for this Sleiman fellow...A strip mall in Five Points? Thats a crazy idea.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHJbSvidohg

http://www.youtube.com/v/KHJbSvidohg

[tufsu1]

I find it very interesting that the powers that be who made the Mellow Mushroom project and the Fishweir Creek/ Commander Development such a stygian hell and not bring it on themselves to howl and make life miserable for this Sleiman fellow...A strip mall in Five Points? Thats a crazy idea.

well the big difference is the building was already there...and he probably could have rebuilt it as it was

[Steve]

RAP and the city both attempted to make this happen, but the challenge is that this isn't a new development or renovation
really, but a "repair". On repairs, there is very little that either side can do.

I assure you, no one is happy with the way this is coming out.

[thelakelander]

Unfortunately, it is what it is.  Hopefully, the neighborhood will at least get a few new retailers and restaurants out of it.

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

RAP and the city both attempted to make this happen, but the challenge is that this isn't a new development or renovation
really, but a "repair". On repairs, there is very little that either side can do.

I assure you, no one is happy with the way this is coming out.

True. 

But what about the next one?  And the one after that?  and after that....   If RAP and the city are so adamant about making sure that the developments are going to be designed more to their liking why don't they change the legislation and up the minimum standards across the board?

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

Unfortunately, it is what it is.  Hopefully, the neighborhood will at least get a few new retailers and restaurants out of it.

Weren't all the spaces occupied?  Good, bad or indifferent his remodel is still a net -2 and will continue to look bleh.

[PeeJayEss]

I assure you, no one is happy with the way this is coming out.

Except for the guy that burnt down his restaurant for insurance money in the first place!