Chomp Chomp headed to Herschel

[acme54321]

If they're raising the rents that much I hope that they plan some serious renovations to that busted ass building.  Wishful thinking 

[CoastalJax]

the Landlords downtown are NUTS.

It's unfortunate, their greed/impracticality is not only stifling downtown's growth, it's clearly chasing away the few commodities it had to begin with.

[BoldCityRealist]

Fairfax is on the rise! That little corridor is one of my favorites over on this side of town. That old Shell station on the corner of San Juan/Herschel is ripe for something cool!

I live off Pine Grove and things keep getting better and better. I am even warming up to that monstrosity going up next to Orsay. Now I just need a little bodega for some fresh produce so I don't have to drive to the mega Publix on 17. Perhaps one of the three convenient stores (AP, no name, Superette) can be replaced with a Grassroots-esque grocery??

[thelakelander]

More about the decision to leave downtown:

"The landlord tried to charge us $3,600 a month with an increase every six months," he said. "We'd be paying $5,000 a month."

Elias Hionides of Petra Management, which handles leasing on the building, confirmed the price for the 3,500-square-foot space.

"That's $12 a foot, which is below what a lot of people are asking downtown," he said. "Go on Loopnet and you'll see retail space is $14 up to $20 a foot. We represent the landlord who doesn't think $12 is an unreasonable asking price."

He said he's been getting calls about the space from potential tenants, including one from a broker who saw Thursday's article in the Times-Union about Burro Bar closing.

But Touchton said that business downtown isn't consistent enough to pay that price.

Full article: http://jacksonville.com/business/real-estate/2016-04-15/story/chomp-chomp-restaurant-next-burro-bar-closing-too#

Touchton said they're planning on being open for lunch and dinner Tuesday to Saturday. And he wasn't too worried about losing the downtown lunch trade.

"Most of those guys live in Riverside," he said, "so we'll be seeing them for dinner."

He also said he's hoping to find a third party to deliver lunch downtown. But he will miss being there.

"I love downtown," he said. "We've been here for five years and even before we opened, I liked to go to the shows and the bars.

"We'd go to the shows at Underbelly, but now that's closed. Businesses struggle here and it's not because these are failing business ideas. There's just not enough people."

[Tacachale]

It sounds like the landlord doesn't have any plans to replace the departures. That's too bad.

[CoastalJax]

It sounds like the landlord doesn't have any plans to replace the departures. That's too bad.

Here's to hoping the leasing agent's claims of them getting calls about the space already are, somehow, true. (They almost certainly aren't  )

[ProjectMaximus]

It sounds like the landlord doesn't have any plans to replace the departures. That's too bad.

Here's to hoping the leasing agent's claims of them getting calls about the space already are, somehow, true. (They almost certainly aren't  )

I'd say they actually probably are. Doesn't mean anything is imminent or will even happen. But people are always biting around these parts.

[camarocane]

Fairfax is on the rise! That little corridor is one of my favorites over on this side of town. That old Shell station on the corner of San Juan/Herschel is ripe for something cool!

I live off Pine Grove and things keep getting better and better. I am even warming up to that monstrosity going up next to Orsay. Now I just need a little bodega for some fresh produce so I don't have to drive to the mega Publix on 17. Perhaps one of the three convenient stores (AP, no name, Superette) can be replaced with a Grassroots-esque grocery??

I live in the same area and would love to have something like that. Growing up in Arlington, there was a fresh produce market that occupied an old Footlocker and seemed to do very well. The side of Park opposite from Orsay/South is due for a makeover.

[JaxAvondale]

Fairfax is on the rise! That little corridor is one of my favorites over on this side of town. That old Shell station on the corner of San Juan/Herschel is ripe for something cool!

I live off Pine Grove and things keep getting better and better. I am even warming up to that monstrosity going up next to Orsay. Now I just need a little bodega for some fresh produce so I don't have to drive to the mega Publix on 17. Perhaps one of the three convenient stores (AP, no name, Superette) can be replaced with a Grassroots-esque grocery??

I live on Pine Grove as well and I agree that I would love to see a small grocery store nearby.

[CoastalJax]

It sounds like the landlord doesn't have any plans to replace the departures. That's too bad.

Here's to hoping the leasing agent's claims of them getting calls about the space already are, somehow, true. (They almost certainly aren't  )

I'd say they actually probably are. Doesn't mean anything is imminent or will even happen. But people are always biting around these parts.

That's true, I'm forgetting that there's definitely a big difference between getting calls and getting serious inquiries/interest.

[ben says]

Time to change the thread title?

[mtraininjax]

Businesses struggle here and it's not because these are failing business ideas. There's just not enough people

There a business owner said it, finally the damn facts. After waiting for 5 years for Brown and his cronies to grow downtown and now Curry with his pledge to do nothing until he gets his BJP tax passed for the pension, owners are beginning to cry out and tell it like it is. There are not enough downtown residents to support all these venues. Its refreshing to hear it from the owners of the businesses. Good for Ian, good for Fairfax and good for Avondale.

I gotta feel for Scotty Schwartz though, he wants top open BullBriar, but I am worried that there may not be enough people in that huge space on a nightly basis. That is a big space to pay for....

[UNFurbanist]

^ I don't think anyone has ever disagreed that there aren't enough people living downtown. Everyone on this board (at least I hope) knows there needs to be much more residential. Although you also have to make the area attractive for people to move in i.e. restaurants and bars. Classic chicken and egg debate. Both need to rise at the same time, which is very difficult. Overall, trends for DT are good I think but there are obviously still plenty of problems and this is a very unfortunate development. Hopefully since rent is going up someone else is vying for it but only time will tell.

[acme54321]

Anyone know when they are supposed to be open?

[mtraininjax]

If you have a space that requires walk up traffic, you struggle.

Beaches establishments seem to debunk this idea. Lots of walkup or bike traffic. Just have to fit the demographic.

And btw. there is a giant residential base next to downtown. Springfield, and the East side.  But dating back to the 1980s, there are structural barriers that make it somewhat a pain to get from those neighborhoods to downtown.  Im a Springfield resident, and its actually quicker for me to hop on over to five points than it is to go through the incompetently administered downtown loop system stoplights. 

Why can't you bike from Springfield into downtown? Why is a car the only means of accessing downtown?

With no traffic on the streets whatsoever, it can still take 20 minutes to drive through downtown if the lights are against you.  It literally takes seven minutes to drive over and drop down into brooklyn or five points.

Isn't a slower more ped friendly downtown one of the goals of MJ? Two-way streets, closing of some streets, more ped friendly with more places to bike in and around downtown are great, but then, yeah, its going to take longer to get around downtown, but then again, that is what makes it unique or could make it more unique.