Urban Construction Update - February 2014

[Metro Jacksonville]

Urban Construction Update - February 2014



Major construction projects have returned to the landscape of Jacksonville's urban core. Find out where (and more) as we take a brief look at the status of various developments under construction in and around Downtown Jacksonville during the month of February.

Read More: http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2014-feb-urban-construction-update-february-2014

[Noone]

Nice update. Public, Private, Partnership? Was Downtown yesterday and noticed the concrete chunks at the Chamber and also all the concrete that is being removed on the Southbank Riverwalk and coupled with the mountains of concrete associated with the I95 project why we haven't been able to coordinate at least two 200' X 200' spots for the permitted artificial reefs south of the Fuller Warren bridge.

Hey, Mobro Marine guys how about taking an IOU for just taking a couple of those loaded barges and take it around the corner so we will create more opportunity with two artificial reefs in the river. Another positive benefit to make  Downtown a Destination and not a pass through as we want to tell the world to Visit Jacksonville.

Also at the 2/19/14 DIA board meeting it was requested for a Southbank Riverwalk update that should be available for the 2/28/14 DIA meeting. A big news story is. Will there be a kayak launch next to MOSH?

[Bridges]

Exciting (For Jacksonville at least) stuff.  Wish some of the projects were finished earlier.  Will have a bunch of family and friends here in town mid-June.

The Pardor parking garage doesn't look as bad as I remembered.  Maybe that's cause Hogan street side got the retail?  Does the water street side have retail too?

[tufsu1]

coupled with the mountains of concrete associated with the I95 project

most of that concrete is being recycled into the project.

As for the Chamber project....the international plaza with the flags has already been built (its the parking lot)....this is just the front entrance

[thelakelander]

Exciting (For Jacksonville at least) stuff.  Wish some of the projects were finished earlier.  Will have a bunch of family and friends here in town mid-June.

The Pardor parking garage doesn't look as bad as I remembered.  Maybe that's cause Hogan street side got the retail?  Does the water street side have retail too?

That's just a rendering.  I don't believe the garage will initially have retail on Hogan and the other streets. The developer doesn't have to build retail until most of the Suntrust Tower is occupied.

[ProjectMaximus]

^^ Is it 60% or 65% occupied? Not a big difference but you have both numbers listed one after the other.

[I-10east]

Far as I know, that pool was always called simply "Jefferson Street Pool" before that name change.

[thelakelander]

^^ Is it 60% or 65% occupied? Not a big difference but you have both numbers listed one after the other.

65% is the correct number.

[thelakelander]

Also, Corner Taco officially opened today:

On Friday, the food truck-turned-restaurant officially opened, with hours from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and dinner from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

http://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/news/2014/02/21/exclusive-corner-taco-opens-in.html

[Lucasjj]

7-11 on Post is now open as well.

[Noone]

coupled with the mountains of concrete associated with the I95 project

most of that concrete is being recycled into the project.

As for the Chamber project....the international plaza with the flags has already been built (its the parking lot)....this is just the front entrance

No Shoes
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Visit Jacksonville!

Public, Private, Partnership? Sorry, but this should be a text book case for the easiest 200' X 200' two permitted artificial reefs south of the Fuller Warren Bridge. Actually there could be 6 but the city only had enough money to pay the application fee for two.

[ben says]

7-11 on Post is now open as well.

They did a really good job on that buildout.

[simms3]

Why isn't anyone fuming about the Parador parking garage?  I realize they aren't stacked, but I wish Parador would have coughed up a little change to improve the building itself rather than getting the stupid city and taxpayers to build an ugly, meaningless garage for them with no guarantee for demand and no return/promote arrangement for the city and immaterial change to the tax roll even if the building does lease up (and then I'm sure there will be a PR stunt in which the tenants are forced to say they located there because of the new garage).

I'll be missing the dirt lot, myself.

I still don't understand the "lack of parking" issue downtown.  Someone walk me through it.  Whenever I visit, I never even have trouble finding a metered spot, not even during lunch hour (which is typically when I visit).  There are more garages than buildings, it seems.  Is this about distance from parking spot to office?  Are folks in Jax actually afraid to walk more than half a block?  What is this about?  I often walk 30 minutes to work (bus can take just as long).  I pass executive types doing the same, all the time, and I'd put executives in San Francisco on a much higher pedestal than those in Jax.

I get that they want to offer a 3:1,000 SF parking ratio on-site (what's market in DT Jax?), but this isn't a trophy tower and I wonder why ownership doesn't focus more on prime location, unobstructed views, and maybe beef up amenities to set the tower apart from others and go for a unique and growing tenant pool in Jax (whatever that may be).  Or maybe the economy is still so down there that nothing they do will bring tenants to the building, in which case the city didn't serve in a fiduciary capacity towards its constituents, the taxpayers, and do its diligence.

[Dog Walker]

7-11 on Post is now open as well.

They did a really good job on that buildout.

I'll second that.  Moving the driveways away from the corner is a real plus too.  Went in there to look around and saw that they have an amazing amount of fresh fruit and other ready to eat food.

Landscaping really improves the look of that corner.

[edjax]

Why isn't anyone fuming about the Parador parking garage?  I realize they aren't stacked, but I wish Parador would have coughed up a little change to improve the building itself rather than getting the stupid city and taxpayers to build an ugly, meaningless garage for them with no guarantee for demand and no return/promote arrangement for the city and immaterial change to the tax roll even if the building does lease up (and then I'm sure there will be a PR stunt in which the tenants are forced to say they located there because of the new garage).

I'll be missing the dirt lot, myself.

I still don't understand the "lack of parking" issue downtown.  Someone walk me through it.  Whenever I visit, I never even have trouble finding a metered spot, not even during lunch hour (which is typically when I visit).  There are more garages than buildings, it seems.  Is this about distance from parking spot to office?  Are folks in Jax actually afraid to walk more than half a block?  What is this about?  I often walk 30 minutes to work (bus can take just as long).  I pass executive types doing the same, all the time, and I'd put executives in San Francisco on a much higher pedestal than those in Jax.

I get that they want to offer a 3:1,000 SF parking ratio on-site (what's market in DT Jax?), but this isn't a trophy tower and I wonder why ownership doesn't focus more on prime location, unobstructed views, and maybe beef up amenities to set the tower apart from others and go for a unique and growing tenant pool in Jax (whatever that may be).  Or maybe the economy is still so down there that nothing they do will bring tenants to the building, in which case the city didn't serve in a fiduciary capacity towards its constituents, the taxpayers, and do its diligence.

I guess you failed to read all the fuming about it in the actual threads about it.