Study recommends JEA demolish, rebuild headquarters at $57 to $64 million

[TimmyB]

35 years ago when I left there, you could go downtown after 6 PM and hit a golf ball without worrying about hitting a soul.  Obviously, that is not true today!  It took the commitment of a couple of local billionaires for everyone else to buy in to the vision.  It's a really cool place, now, and they keep making it better.  All the buildings that you see in the 2nd quarter of the picture are new since you were there (the"medical mile") and there is talk of ridding the Grand River of the dams and making it a paddling destination.

Grand Rapids' downtown/urban core is very impressive. TimmyB, you give more credit to the local billionaire patrons than I would - they were/are important, but the real thing that made it happen was the Grand Action plan. It was a public-private plan with a lot of emphasis on continuity and public buy-in. They picked a plan and stuck with it - there were some boneheaded moves, but ultimately things shook out and they built on the smart moves, and now it has the feel of a vibrant city much larger than it is.

In comparison, Jax hasn't put nearly that kind of investment in, and especially, we haven't had nearly the followthrough between administrations. To give an example, in the same time frame we had a lot of Downtown investment under Mayor Godbold in the 80s. Not everything was well considered by modern standards - the Southbank Riverwalk was on the wrong side of the river, the Landing's got its back to downtown - but overall the momentum was great. But there was little followthrough under the Hazouri administration, which didn't have a major downtown focus. Under Mayor Austin we got back on track with River City Renaissance - again, some missteps (LaVilla) but a lot of other steps forward. When my old man was mayor, it was really the last time we had an administration that tried to build on the predecessors' successors downtown. The result was a large amount of projects and the Better Jacksonville Plan, and even a formal downtown master plan. But then, Mayors Peyton and Brown didn't do much for Downtown - existing projects were finished off (some more successfully than others), but little new was started. Mayor Curry is poised to make some big moves with several projects, but it feels like we're starting from scratch again.

We have a tendency to be overly negative in Jax; we actually do a lot right. Few cities have things like the Timucuan Preserve, we're growing fast, and we have a pretty robust and diverse local economy (especially compared to Michigan). Unfortunately we still haven't figured out Downtown, and we're far behind for a city of our size. Sadly I don't see that changing anytime soon; most of the positive moves downtown haven't had anything to do with the city leadership.

Well, trust me, I'm about as far from the Amway fan bandwagon as you can get, but the reason I do give them that credit is their investment in the old Pantlind Hotel, which came during the depths of the recession of the late seventies/early eighties.  This, to me, was the opening shot and created the positive energy, which (as you mentioned) was carried on from adminstration to administration.

[vicupstate]

35 years ago when I left there, you could go downtown after 6 PM and hit a golf ball without worrying about hitting a soul.  Obviously, that is not true today!  It took the commitment of a couple of local billionaires for everyone else to buy in to the vision.  It's a really cool place, now, and they keep making it better.  All the buildings that you see in the 2nd quarter of the picture are new since you were there (the"medical mile") and there is talk of ridding the Grand River of the dams and making it a paddling destination.

Grand Rapids' downtown/urban core is very impressive. TimmyB, you give more credit to the local billionaire patrons than I would - they were/are important, but the real thing that made it happen was the Grand Action plan. It was a public-private plan with a lot of emphasis on continuity and public buy-in. They picked a plan and stuck with it - there were some boneheaded moves, but ultimately things shook out and they built on the smart moves, and now it has the feel of a vibrant city much larger than it is.

In comparison, Jax hasn't put nearly that kind of investment in, and especially, we haven't had nearly the followthrough between administrations. To give an example, in the same time frame we had a lot of Downtown investment under Mayor Godbold in the 80s. Not everything was well considered by modern standards - the Southbank Riverwalk was on the wrong side of the river, the Landing's got its back to downtown - but overall the momentum was great. But there was little followthrough under the Hazouri administration, which didn't have a major downtown focus. Under Mayor Austin we got back on track with River City Renaissance - again, some missteps (LaVilla) but a lot of other steps forward. When my old man was mayor, it was really the last time we had an administration that tried to build on the predecessors' successors downtown. The result was a large amount of projects and the Better Jacksonville Plan, and even a formal downtown master plan. But then, Mayors Peyton and Brown didn't do much for Downtown - existing projects were finished off (some more successfully than others), but little new was started. Mayor Curry is poised to make some big moves with several projects, but it feels like we're starting from scratch again.

We have a tendency to be overly negative in Jax; we actually do a lot right. Few cities have things like the Timucuan Preserve, we're growing fast, and we have a pretty robust and diverse local economy (especially compared to Michigan). Unfortunately we still haven't figured out Downtown, and we're far behind for a city of our size. Sadly I don't see that changing anytime soon; most of the positive moves downtown haven't had anything to do with the city leadership.

Very accurate summary.

[RattlerGator]

Great shots Jim!

* * *

Jax's skyline measures up well with metropolitan areas within its range like Oklahoma City, Memphis (hehe RattlerGator), Raleigh, Norfolk, Milwaukee, etc.

Agreed. Great photos and you'll get no disagreement from me -- my man -- on *this* particular comparison to Memphis and others, but ours is the best among the group.

I've always favored a picture of our skyline from an area surrounding either of the Ortega bridges; day or night, beautiful shots.

[Kerry]

Give me urban density over height anytime.  Jax might look comparable to OKC or Memphis when viewed from 5 miles away but up close - Jax has a long long way to go.  I would prefer JEA build 5 stories of quality urbanism vs. 50 stories with no street-level interaction and corporate plazas on every side.

[thelakelander]

JEA, DIA discussing utility's aging HQ

By Karen Brune Mathis, Editor

JEA and the Downtown Investment Authority are discussing options for the city utility's aging headquarters building.
"I can acknowledge we have had conversations with the JEA in regard to their existing site," said DIA CEO Aundra Wallace.

Those discussions included what the JEA plans to do with its property at 21 W. Church St. Downtown "and the need for a potential new headquarters," he said Tuesday.

Asked where the site would be, Wallace said he couldn't say. "Not right now, but check back with me in 24-48 hours," he said.

Full article: http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory.php?Story_id=550011

[KenFSU]

In addition to rebuilding at the existing site, La Villa, the Shipyards and the city core were all mentioned as well.

[RatTownRyan]

Would love to see it in Lavilla near the JRTC.

[thelakelander]

I'd love to see them building something on one of their nearby underutilized sites in the Northbank and sell the existing complex to the private sector.  Moving that amount of employees outside of the heart of the Northbank will have a negative impact on downtown's highest concentration of retailers, restaurants and support businesses.  While a shiny new office tower on a fringe site like the Shipyards would look good from a post card, it won't have the same economic impact on small businesses within the core.

[heights unknown]

JEA, DIA discussing utility's aging HQ

By Karen Brune Mathis, Editor

JEA and the Downtown Investment Authority are discussing options for the city utility's aging headquarters building.
"I can acknowledge we have had conversations with the JEA in regard to their existing site," said DIA CEO Aundra Wallace.

Those discussions included what the JEA plans to do with its property at 21 W. Church St. Downtown "and the need for a potential new headquarters," he said Tuesday.

Asked where the site would be, Wallace said he couldn't say. "Not right now, but check back with me in 24-48 hours," he said.

Full article: http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory.php?Story_id=550011

WOW. JEA is one of the front line companies in Jacksonville and the First Coast area. In my opinion, they need to make a statement, for themselves and for the city, relative to the construction of this new headquarters. I would vote for LAVILLA first, the CORE second, and so on. But I hope they go tall (I love skycrapers) as we have not had a new signature office tower built in the city, if I am not wrong, since 1990 I believe.

[heights unknown]

Give me urban density over height anytime.  Jax might look comparable to OKC or Memphis when viewed from 5 miles away but up close - Jax has a long long way to go.  I would prefer JEA build 5 stories of quality urbanism vs. 50 stories with no street-level interaction and corporate plazas on every side.

I disagree. Then go 50 stories but be creative at the street level relative to providing shops, retail, restaurants, etc. I also agree, but to a very lesser extent, with your urbanism philosophy; but I am a "height" man (look at my site name) and love talls and supertalls, and yes, I understand that skyscrapers don't make a city; but that is my preference.

[Captain Zissou]

As long as it's not courthouse 2.0 I'm good.  A single block or less with street level interaction is all I want.

[KenFSU]

What typically happens when a company demos their existing building and rebuilds on the same site? I'd assume JEA would have to rent office space elsewhere for two years.

My preference would be:

1) Relocate in the urban core and hopefully find someone willing to do something with the existing building.
2) Relocate to Lavilla, sell old building
3) Rebuild at existing site
4) Shipyards

[Steve]

What typically happens when a company demos their existing building and rebuilds on the same site? I'd assume JEA would have to rent office space elsewhere for two years.

My preference would be:

1) Relocate in the urban core and hopefully find someone willing to do something with the existing building.
2) Relocate to Lavilla, sell old building
3) Rebuild at existing site
4) Shipyards

My belief is they can find someone willing to do something with the current building. In this day and age, moving twice is a giant pain. Ether build something or lease something, get it prepared, move, then sell the building.

[jaxjaguar]

If I had a magic wand, I'd put them in a high rise in one of the 3 surface lots near One Enterprise Center and the Omni. It would really boost foot traffic in the area around the landing/performing arts center, be less than a block from a skyway station, be close enough to the river to impact the skyline and it'd be in a good siteline from the last Villa area.

If I had a slightly less powerful wand, I'd knock down the old courthouse behind the Hyatt and put them there...

[heights unknown]

If I had a magic wand, I'd put them in a high rise in one of the 3 surface lots near One Enterprise Center and the Omni. It would really boost foot traffic in the area around the landing/performing arts center, be less than a block from a skyway station, be close enough to the river to impact the skyline and it'd be in a good siteline from the last Villa area.

If I had a slightly less powerful wand, I'd knock down the old courthouse behind the Hyatt and put them there...

I agree wholeheartedly Jax Jaguar; I like your opinions and recommendation; sounds good to me. They do need to  put it in either one of those two places (enterprise center or Omni parking lot); would be a slender tower I think but you could really go tall, and you would have Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and the old CSX buildings which are talls, in the same proximity adding "tall" density to the middle core. I really like what you recommended.