Mayor Curry wants the Landing back

[FlaBoy]

Just saw the FTU's article. Let me ask everyone a question.  What's the negative in this happening?

If he can't reach a deal with the city, Sleiman says he'll simply remodel the Landing and "run it like a shopping center."

I chuckled at this quote when I read the article the first time.

I hope he follows through on his threat.

What has he been doing for the past 15 years?

[jaxjaguar]

Sleazeman has been a laughable owner. Aside from the screen for the Super Bowl in the courtyard and swapping / loss of tenants, I can't think of any upgrades that have been made to the building since the mid 90's....

What's preventing the city from claiming eminent domain other than it making them look like the bad guy?

[acme54321]

Other than the pension thing being less than optimal Curry has really surprised me.  The guy is actually making things happen  unlike the other recent administeations. I like it.

[FlaBoy]

Sleazeman has been a laughable owner. Aside from the screen for the Super Bowl in the courtyard and swapping / loss of tenants, I can't think of any upgrades that have been made to the building since the mid 90's....

What's preventing the city from claiming eminent domain other than it making them look like the bad guy?

LOL. That screen looks so bad now compared to the cheap and easy technology he could use to upgrade it.

[spuwho]

Just saw the FTU's article. Let me ask everyone a question.  What's the negative in this happening?

If he can't reach a deal with the city, Sleiman says he'll simply remodel the Landing and "run it like a shopping center."

I chuckled at this quote when I read the article the first time.

I hope he follows through on his threat.

What has he been doing for the past 15 years?

I know memories are short and we don't always hear what has happened behind the scenes.

Remember the Fuddrucker's deal? Toney tried to get COJ to execute on their obligation to provide so many parking spaces to support the lease. COJ offered him parking so far away it was meaningless to the tenant and they walked away.

Tenants are asking Toney for easy in/easy out parking around the Landing to make the biz viable. Under the terms of the lease, COJ is on the hook to provide them.

So if COJ won't provide the required parking, Toney then wants to redevelop it.  Problem here is he can't, because he doesn't own the land.

So he feels trapped, unable to get decent leases due to parking, unable to redevelop it, all because COJ isn't cooperating.

We don't know what COJ offered to settle the affair and there are moving parts behind the scenes,

[KenFSU]

^Both sides deserve a fair share of blame for where we now are. The city let Sleiman down on parking. Sleiman tried to screw the city out of $4.3 million for the east lot, plus property taxes, eight years after he bought it and started collecting parking fees on it. Alvin Brown probably promised a $12.1 million check to Sleiman that the city couldn't cash, and Toney ruined the goodwill and excitement behind a redesign by delivering a design hostile to the general public. And there's been very little give-and-take by either side.

Upon further thought, the worst thing that could happen is for the city to try to forcibly take the Landing back from Sleiman. For multiple reasons, particuarly their poor track record with such ventures and the years of costly litigation that would likely result from such action.

If I'm Curry, I make Sleiman put his money where his mouth is. I offer to sell him the land under the Landing contingent upon a redevelopment plan that the city (Council, DIA, DDRB) has to sign off on. Let Sleiman present his best redevelopment plan, vet it to make sure it's in the public's best interest, give him X amount of time to complete it, and sell him the land. 

[Keith-N-Jax]

I doubt the city sells the land,

[mtraininjax]

I also don't trust the city to manage or develop the Landing, when they couldn't even handle a restaurant.

The city will not manage it, they will find someone else, wink, wink, wink who has done a good job with managing projects in Jacksonville who has a great entertainment company and knows how to drive more revenue. They also have big A$$ video screens.

City is in the business to collect and levy taxes and provide services to the citizens. They are not restaurant managers.

[thelakelander]

Right now, I'm leaning toward Sleiman remodeling, signing long term leases and running it like a shopping center.  I'm totally fine seeing what the actual market is for the Landing and using tax dollars to address more pressing needs in the area.  People can call them strip mall kings but their strip malls have tenants.  At this point, that's a much better track record in the retail sector than anything the city has done in the past with redevelopment sites.

[Jim]

Sleazeman has been a laughable owner. Aside from the screen for the Super Bowl in the courtyard and swapping / loss of tenants, I can't think of any upgrades that have been made to the building since the mid 90's....

What's preventing the city from claiming eminent domain other than it making them look like the bad guy?

Would you move forward with a $100 million renovation if you didn't own the land or have the promised parking to allow it?  He's already provided redevelopment plans at least 3-4 times.

This is a quagmire on both sides.

Eminent domain probably wouldn't work either.  Sleiman would have tenants sign a long term contract and the city would have to honor or pay those out (no major redevelopment or very expensive) and it would be tough for the city to prove it is for the the public good (especially given they don't have any redevelopment plans at all) and Sleiman would certainly appeal it anyway.  Further, ED usually works against the poor, not the rich.  He has the money to fight it, unlike the former citizens of LaVilla back in the 90's.

[KenFSU]

I also don't trust the city to manage or develop the Landing, when they couldn't even handle a restaurant.

The city will not manage it, they will find someone else, wink, wink, wink who has done a good job with managing projects in Jacksonville who has a great entertainment company and knows how to drive more revenue. They also have big A$$ video screens.

City is in the business to collect and levy taxes and provide services to the citizens. They are not restaurant managers.

The only problem with this scenario is that the Landing is in direct competition with the 70 acres of riverfront property that the Jaguars are currently in negotiation with the city to develop. Unlike Dan Gilbert, who I think Khan has been inaccurately compared with, Khan seems to be primarily targeting the "front door of the stadium," as he has referred to the riverfront near the stadium. I'm not sure he'd even be interested in managing a property a mile and a half west of the stadium. In time, Khan may become our city's equivalent of Dan Gilbert, but man, Gilbert is on a whole different level. Man's bought close to a 100 buildings in downtown Detroit, totaling over $2 billion.

[thelakelander]

Gilbert and Khan are night and day.  Gilbert is from Detroit and has taken a personal interest in using his influence and power as a catalyst for that city's revitalization.  I wouldn't compare Khan's potential impact on Jax in any form close to Gilbert's, until Khan does something like relocating Flex-N-Gate's corporate headquarters to downtown Jax.  That's basically what Gilbert did with Quicken Loans, thus bringing thousands (+14,000 workers to DT Detroit) and creating a market for additional development that wasn't present prior to that decision.  On the other hand, Gilbert is about to accidently make downtown Cleveland take an economic hit by running Lebron off in 2018.

[JBTripper]

I also don't trust the city to manage or develop the Landing, when they couldn't even handle a restaurant.

The city will not manage it, they will find someone else, wink, wink, wink who has done a good job with managing projects in Jacksonville who has a great entertainment company and knows how to drive more revenue. They also have big A$$ video screens.

City is in the business to collect and levy taxes and provide services to the citizens. They are not restaurant managers.

I believe Peter Rummell has been more involved with what is happening at The Landing than the person you are referring to.

[KenFSU]

On the other hand, Gilbert is about to accidently make downtown Cleveland take an economic hit by running Lebron off in 2018.

To me, the D'Angelo Russell trade and Paul George stuff clearly signals Lebron to the Lakers at the end of next season.

I wonder if he intentionally tanks in the postseason like he did the last time he left Cleveland.

Gilbert's kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place. It took a $115 million dollar payroll, a $54 million luxury tax, and a $40 million loss on the season for the Cavs to win a title. Not sure if I want to spend that, plus Jimmy Butler's salary, plus salary cap increases, to lose to Golden State every year in the finals, at best (Boston's coming up fast). Could conceivably be a quarter billion loss over the next five years to keep this core together and bring in all the additional firepower that James wants.

[FlaBoy]

Gilbert and Khan are night and day.  Gilbert is from Detroit and has taken a personal interest in using his influence and power as a catalyst for that city's revitalization.  I wouldn't compare Khan's potential impact on Jax in any form close to Gilbert's, until Khan does something like relocating Flex-N-Gate's corporate headquarters to downtown Jax.  That's basically what Gilbert did with Quicken Loans, thus bringing thousands (+14,000 workers to DT Detroit) and creating a market for additional development that wasn't present prior to that decision.  On the other hand, Gilbert is about to accidently make downtown Cleveland take an economic hit by running Lebron off in 2018.

With Illinois falling apart under the stress of financial ruin, and literally having no other ways to raise revenues, maybe except additional taxes on corporations, now may be the time to see if Khan would like to move his corporate HQ to Jax or Naples lol.