Peter Rummell eyes $400-million vision for a healthy town along St. Johns River

[thelakelander]

A pretty good article about Peter Rummell's vision for Healthy Town in the FTU today:

Peter Rummell looks at the overgrown vacant lot and his imagination slips into fifth gear.
Rummell, 69, intends to take the weed-filled eyesore and turn it into something that will draw attention to Jacksonville and provide a healthy dose of adrenaline to a downtown that closes up after dark except for a few weeks a year.

"I have for the most part, been what I call a place-maker. ... I have always built places like I was going to live there and I have lived in most of them," said Rummell, whose real estate career began in 1971 with the Sea Pines Co., developer of Hilton Head Island, S.C., and Amelia Island in Nassau County.

"I've learned to think in three dimensions," Rummell said as he prepares to undertake what is likely one of the most challenging projects in his career. "You sort of just close your eyes and superimpose things. This, to me, is the fun part of the creative process because going from nothing to something is complicated. It's amazing how sort of early, little decisions can really make a big difference."

Rummell said it's almost like translating languages to some degree, seeing potential in the scrubby riverfront lot of 29 acres he and his partners will buy for slightly more than $17 million and turning it into a reality.

Healthy Town, an urban resort capitalizing on its St. Johns River location downtown, will be a community branded by Rummell's vision. That vision is shaped by the well-known communities of Celebration near Orlando and WaterColor, the beachside development along the Florida's Panhandle's blue waters.

For Jacksonville, Rummell sees a community designed to promote optimal health for its residents whether they walk, run, bicycle, kayak or do yoga. Stairs will be more prominent than elevators to nudge people into unintentional exercise.

"Everybody gets it. The confluence of healthy living and place-making is something that people get. They understand it, and they understand that the place you live can make a difference in how you live and that can affect your health," Rummell said.

Healthy Town also will be a destination, Rummell said, featuring top-of-the-line restaurants, bars and shops.

"We're not going to put a Hooters on the river here. ... This will be unique," he said, declining to identify what restaurants or bars will be built. "You learn very quickly that a community is not just bricks and mortar. It's the essence of what it is and the people and how they work."

Rummell sees Healthy Town as a prototype, a transferable idea with the potential to become a model for cities around the world.

"If it becomes what we want it to be, I hope it will give us bragging rights," he said. "... I'm sick of the Chamber of Commerce going to Charlotte and Nashville to see what the good ideas are. My definition of success for Jacksonville is, I want the Charlotte and Nashville chambers to come here."

Full article: http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2015-06-06/story/peter-rummell-eyes-400-million-vision-healthy-town-along-st-johns-river

[MusicMan]

You don't have to to Charlotte or Nashville. Start in Greenville SC and you will see one of the most amazing transformations in the Southeast.
I just got back and was blown away by what they have done around an old mill stream and some falls that lazily navigate their way through downtown Greenville. Almost 100% of the Historic building stock is still in place, most of it home to cool bars and shops, while all around it is new construction that dazzles they eye. If you haven't been lately then be sure to plan a long Saturday afternoon strolling downtown Greenville in the near future. Their downtown Saturday morning market is twice the size of RAM and is actually (in my opinion) better set up for patron and customer interaction.

Go in the Fall and it might be even better as the leaves change and the air gets cool.

[thelakelander]

It's been a few years since I stopped in Greenville, but here's a few pics from a tour Vicupstate took me on in 2008:

http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2008-mar-learning-from-greenville-sc













You don't have to drive that far. It's pretty hard to find a decent size city in this country that hasn't achieved great things over the last 15 years.

[MusicMan]

Great downtowns are pretty easy to spot, they are like bee hives. People always in motion, stuff going on, and everything pretty clean and well maintained.

[mtraininjax]

I hope the new Mayor will share and embrace the vision of the leaders in Jacksonville, like Rummell. Sad to hear though that Mr. Haskell will be stepping down soon.

[MusicMan]

I'm sure he will, until Rummell asks for some City money. He certainly won't be the only one asking. It will be interesting to see how the new "fiscally conservative" Mayor feels about investing in downtown Jacksonville.

[Tacachale]

Yeah, hopefully Curry will take up the Downtown projects waiting in the wings, but there are going to be a lot of tough decisions to be made to get the budget back in order. I doubt there will be enough new spending to cover all the projects. Projects like Healthy Town, that aren't going to require big incentives, are probably safe, but the ones that need (or want) a lot of public assistance may be in more trouble. I expect that Toney Sleiman's proposed Landing redevelopment, which was seeking $12 million, is going to look a *lot* different, for instance.

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

How often is it that projects such as these get ZERO to little money upfront?  I'm just curious how/why a city wouldn't negotiate deals that allows for all of the incentives to kick in on the back-end once the project is completed.  These groups have the financing in place to get these projects done without the need for assistance, it just helps their bottom lines, so why not start turning dirt?

In cases like the Shipyards, I feel the city should take care of the remediation, but that's only because they're going to have to do it anyhow, eventually. 

[Tacachale]

It's been pretty rare that these projects come together without any incentives. From what I understand, Healthy Town could come together with the incentives on the back end through tax breaks. Other projects, not so much. There's no way Sleiman was going to turn dirt without a lot of money up front, but that project is unlikely to happen in that way with Brown heading out of office.

[UNFurbanist]

How would you guys rank the importance of proposed projects for downtown in terms of city funding? This would be mine personally.
1. Laura Street Trio
2. Shipyards
3. Landing
4. Healthy Town (just because they seem to have their funding in order)

[E_Dubya]

It's been a few years since I stopped in Greenville.....
You don't have to drive that far. It's pretty hard to find a decent size city in this country that hasn't achieved great things over the last 15 years.

Lakelander,

I spent my summers in grad school in the Spartanburg/Greenville area. It's amazing how Greenville has evolved over the past few years. Everyone I knew that grew up there told me 15-20 years ago, you did not want to be downtown after 5 PM. Now, they have incredible nightlife, dining, and great walking trails to explore during the day.

With the right leadership, I truly believe we can replicate their success. Hopefully Mr. Curry is the man to get the ball rolling, but it depends on the level of his fiscal conservatism. It would be nice if we can get out of our own way soon enough....

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

How would you guys rank the importance of proposed projects for downtown in terms of city funding? This would be mine personally.
1. Laura Street Trio
2. Shipyards
3. Landing
4. Healthy Town (just because they seem to have their funding in order)

Like I mentioned above, I think they all deserve assistance, but....

The majority of the money needs to find it's way towards the back-end of the project.  And I'm not suggesting that we pigeon-hole that money into tax incentives and rebates.  If the project can warrant the need for $50M in city funding, then I'm all for those being cash payments, but made in the future after the project hits predetermined benchmarks.  Much like traditional construction funding.

That said, I rank the importance based on what I feel is the city's liability in the first place (i.e. if the city had done it's due diligence, the costs wouldn't be so high to begin with):

1. Laura Street Trio - The building were allowed to deteriorate - don't know who/how long the properties were neglectfully owned, but someone should have stepped in long ago.
2. Shipyards - Remediation of the land has been known and has been in the city's hands for a decade.
3. Landing - Many issues here, but personal feuding has prevented either side from making this right.
4. Healthy Town - Private venture all the way, but should be allowed a solid margin of help due to infill development.

[JaxJersey-licious]

You don't have to to Charlotte or Nashville. Start in Greenville SC and you will see one of the most amazing transformations in the Southeast.
I just got back and was blown away by what they have done around an old mill stream and some falls that lazily navigate their way through downtown Greenville. Almost 100% of the Historic building stock is still in place, most of it home to cool bars and shops, while all around it is new construction that dazzles they eye. If you haven't been lately then be sure to plan a long Saturday afternoon strolling downtown Greenville in the near future. Their downtown Saturday morning market is twice the size of RAM and is actually (in my opinion) better set up for patron and customer interaction.

Go in the Fall and it might be even better as the leaves change and the air gets cool.

I hear many urban planners, downtown pioneers, visitors, and residents scream the praises of Greenville but I always wondered about Spartanburg which shares the same TV/radio stations, regiaonal job market, educational opportunities, etc. Neighboring cities of similar size have always spurred friendly and not-so-friendly one-uppance rivalries and I was curious what Spartanburg was doing to keep up with the Joneses (bad pun intended).

[vicupstate]

You don't have to to Charlotte or Nashville. Start in Greenville SC and you will see one of the most amazing transformations in the Southeast.
I just got back and was blown away by what they have done around an old mill stream and some falls that lazily navigate their way through downtown Greenville. Almost 100% of the Historic building stock is still in place, most of it home to cool bars and shops, while all around it is new construction that dazzles they eye. If you haven't been lately then be sure to plan a long Saturday afternoon strolling downtown Greenville in the near future. Their downtown Saturday morning market is twice the size of RAM and is actually (in my opinion) better set up for patron and customer interaction.

Go in the Fall and it might be even better as the leaves change and the air gets cool.

I hear many urban planners, downtown pioneers, visitors, and residents scream the praises of Greenville but I always wondered about Spartanburg which shares the same TV/radio stations, regiaonal job market, educational opportunities, etc. Neighboring cities of similar size have always spurred friendly and not-so-friendly one-uppance rivalries and I was curious what Spartanburg was doing to keep up with the Joneses (bad pun intended).

I live in Greenville and keep tabs on Spartanburg as well.  Spartanburg was definitely late to the game, compared to Greenville, and doesn't have a pretty river/park to work with.  That said, it has made slow but steady progress over the years.  The pace of which has picked up dramatically in the last 2-3 years.  Spartanburg moved away from the 'urban surburban office park' model of revitalization, to something that genuinely works.  I'll call it the 'Lakelander' model of residences, restaurants, critical mass creation. 

I started a thread about a program Spartanburg has that led to a lot of renovation and new small businesses without costing that much.  It has done very well for them.  Even many of the businesses that DIDN"T get money still opened, and the number of vacancies is way down from before.  The energy and momentum alone was quite beneficial.   

http://www.metrojacksonville.com/forum/index.php?topic=16888.0

[jcjohnpaint]

Went to Sweet Pete's on Sunday and could not believe the amount of people walking around the block on a Sunday.  It goes to show what 1 place can do.  There were even families and little kids in Hemming Plaza.  I have never seen this in my 5 years in Jax.  You can see how important connectivity is to DT and how close the Laura St Trio is to all this action.  It is a shame the city can't see it.  Personally, I hope Curry proves me wrong, but he seems a lot like the hot air gov we have had around here after Delaney.