Curry's Plan for the Landing Revealed

[martt12]

Just read this: https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/article/mayor-currys-focus-for-redevelopment-the-northbank

[JeffreyS]

I am not a big Curry fan but he seems too smart to be serious about this park idea.  Hopefully it is just a scary negotiation strategy. 

[jaxjags]

Having just read The Dailey Record article and Curry's well worded comments, I believe this was more of a "trial balloon" to gauge public reaction. He said some like it and some hate it, but that is OK and starts the conversation. My bet is someday the site will include some development and some waterfront interaction.

[Snaketoz]

Having just read The Dailey Record article and Curry's well worded comments, I believe this was more of a "trial balloon" to gauge public reaction. He said some like it and some hate it, but that is OK and starts the conversation. My bet is someday the site will include some development and some waterfront interaction.

It would be great if the conversation was open and unbiased.  It seems to me if a private owner or group of owners want to do anything in Jacksonville the playing field is not always level.  If you are a darling to city hall, your conversation matters.  If you are competing against a city hall darling, not only will you have to fight your competitors, you'll also have to face city hall and it's taxpayer funded legal team.

[thelakelander]

My bet is Sleiman wins.

[KenFSU]

My bet is Sleiman wins.

100% agree.

There's a very long, very public paper trail of both Rouse and Sleiman describing why the Landing's tenant mix isn't first-class, and explaining what city obligations need to be fulfilled in order to get high-end retailers to commit to the Landing.

Sleiman has the lease outlining the parking requirements from the city, meticulous records of potential tenants who have turned down the Landing because of inadequate parking, and a proven track record of success with other commercial real estate properties where parking needs are met.

I also don't think it would be hard to prove that the attempted Landing seizure is politically motivated, either.

Curry has held a grudge against Toney Sleiman and the Landing ever since he appeared in Alvin Brown re-election videos when Curry was running against Brown.

http://floridapolitics.com/archives/6963-latest-alvin-brown-tv-ad-draws-scrutiny

Throw in the general goofiness like the east parking lot debacle and the crumbling docks that the city refuses to repair now, but proudly states they will repair for the new park, and I'm surprised the whole thing hasn't been thrown out already.

[Snaketoz]

My bet is Sleiman wins.

I think Sleiman should and will win.  I question whether or not the "win" will do any good as far as the Landing goes.  Will Curry and company use other means to crowd him out?  Even in winning Tony will have lots of enemies in high places.

[KenFSU]

^The lease is good for another 40 years and Toney is more than comfortable playing the long game.

Peyton iced him out.

Brown was ready to partner with him on redevelopment.

Now he's being iced out again, this time by Curry.

Sleiman's just gonna hold his ground until a favorable leadership comes along.

[KenFSU]

Absolutely insane:

https://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/news/2018/07/02/city-wants-landing-owners-to-start-obtaining.html

Certainly add fuel to the Cordish conspiracy.

Feels like a step toward eventually moving all of the Landing's major events east.

[thelakelander]

On the surface it sounds like proof that the city is actively working against the success of the Landing because of who the owner is.

[Kerry]

I'm not a fan of the Landing or the ownership and even I can see the City is playing the role of 'villain" in this episode.

[Steve]

I'm not a fan of the Landing or the ownership and even I can see the City is playing the role of 'villain" in this episode.

Agree 100%

[KenFSU]

Deadline has come and gone, and Sleiman will hold the 4th of July celebration at the Landing without applying for a permit.

https://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/news/2018/07/03/despite-city-threats-the-landing-plans-to-hold.html

Will the evil city try to shut down the event tomorrow night?

Will Curry try to imprison the strip mall king for 60 days, as he claims to have the ability to do in the city's letter?

Stay tuned.

[Tacachale]

The Jacksonville Landing could be torn down, but other cities are renovating festival marketplaces

By David Bauerlein

Posted Jul 3, 2018 at 8:22 PM
Updated Jul 4, 2018 at 2:07 PM
     
Fireworks will explode this Fourth of July over The Jacksonville Landing in downtown.

They also will burst over The Waterside District in Norfolk, Va.

While the flash and boom will be the same up high in the sky, those who turn out for the shows will find a big contrast at ground level at the two venues, which were built in the 1980s when cities across the country embraced the "festival marketplace" concept to give suburbanites a reason to go downtown.

The Waterside District recently underwent a $40 million renovation of the building that opened on the Elizabeth River in 1983. The Jacksonville Landing has not undergone a major renovation since it opened in 1987 on the St. Johns River. City leaders have come out in favor of tearing down the Landing to make way for something entirely different.

When the Downtown Investment Authority conducted public workshops in 2015 to solicit ideas for the site's future, some people voiced support for keeping it because it is one of the city's most well-known buildings, provided it can get more people going to it. But there has been no appetite from the city or the Landing's owner to sink the kind of investment into it that had marked renovations elsewhere.

A Look Back: The Jacksonville Landing through the years
Waterside in Norfolk and the Landing were built during the period when the Rouse Company was at the forefront of shaping downtown developments with the festival marketplaces that combined shopping with lots of entertainment intended to attract suburbanites back to the urban core.

If the wrecking ball does level the Landing, it wouldn't be the first demolition of a festival marketplace. The city of Richmond's 6th Street Marketplace opened in 1985, but by 2003, the city moved to demolish the building, returning the street to use by pedestrians and vehicles.

In other cities, the concept has proven to have staying power, such as Waterside in Norfolk and Bayside Marketplace in Miami, which is in the midst of a $30 million renovation. Harborplace in Baltimore, often cited as a model for The Jacksonville Landing, has been undergoing renovation as well.

...

From the Florida Times-Union.

http://www.jacksonville.com/news/20180703/jacksonville-landing-could-be-torn-down-but-other-cities-are-renovating-festival-marketplaces

[thelakelander]

Waterside, Harborplace and Bayside are three great examples of reuse of similar structures. All have the same design issues we claim have killed the Landing. Unlike the Landing, they continue to be retrofitted with evolving tenant mixes that align with current market trends. They all also have dedicated parking garages! On the other hand, Richmond did demolish their structure. Needless to say, the places that kept their buildings attract a hell of a lot more people to those locations than Richmond does to 6th Street.