Curry's Plan for the Landing Revealed

[thelakelander]

So are we expecting Hooters, Fions and the other businesses to close up shop completely, lay everyone off and then come back in 2023 to spend money on a higher lease and a new tenant build-out a mile away?

At the same time, what are people supposed to do in downtown at nights and during weekends? Considering the billions we've invested in DT since the 1980s, the street life, activate storefronts, etc. in the Northbank don't reflect the money spent to date?

I'm on the road for a variety of things these days, so I get to spend time in downtowns of peer cities across the country quite often. Walking around the Northbank yesterday afternoon around 5pm was just downright depressing. I'm not sure there's even one single block in the core with five businesses maintaining consistent hours at night and on weekends. What's COJ's plan to change this?

[thelakelander]

Do any of you seriously doubt some of these places (Hooters, etc.) wouldn't kill to be in that Duval Live! complex at Lot J ? ? ?

Any clue how Xfinity Live in Philly is doing on a daily basis? Unlike most of the Cordish projects, it is the one most comparable to what is proposed here, as it sits in a parking lot of the sports complex.

http://cordish.com/portfolio/Xfinity-live

Good question. I've been to Philly quite a few times but never had the urge to leave the core of the city to check out Xfinity Live.

[Downtown Osprey]

Do any of you seriously doubt some of these places (Hooters, etc.) wouldn't kill to be in that Duval Live! complex at Lot J ? ? ?

Any clue how Xfinity Live in Philly is doing on a daily basis? Unlike most of the Cordish projects, it is the one most comparable to what is proposed here, as it sits in a parking lot of the sports complex.

http://cordish.com/portfolio/Xfinity-live

Good question. I've been to Philly quite a few times but never had the urge to leave the core of the city to check out Xfinity Live.

I went to it a few months ago when I went to a Sixers game. It's a pretty cool setup but nothing that makes you want to go back and check it out on a daily basis. Just a cool spot to hangout or tailgate if you don't want to do it outdoors.

[pierre]

Do any of you seriously doubt some of these places (Hooters, etc.) wouldn't kill to be in that Duval Live! complex at Lot J ? ? ?

Any clue how Xfinity Live in Philly is doing on a daily basis? Unlike most of the Cordish projects, it is the one most comparable to what is proposed here, as it sits in a parking lot of the sports complex.

http://cordish.com/portfolio/Xfinity-live

I have only been there once, and it was on a Sunday during a Phillies home game. They had a good crowd but there were also 20,000+ people across the street watching baseball. I was surprised how little else there was around aside from sports stadiums.

I honestly cannot imagine there are huge crowds when there is not an event in one of the nearby facilities.

[marcuscnelson]

Good question. I've been to Philly quite a few times but never had the urge to leave the core of the city to check out Xfinity Live.

Did you just do what I think you just did there?

[Steve]

The Philly comparison is actually a pretty good comparison to Jacksonville's plan (for what we know) with one exception (I'll get to that). The stadiums are fairly close to downtown but it would be a REALLY long walk (they're further out of City Center than Jacksonville), but not in the burbs like Kansas City or some others.

The one MAJOR exception: Their 4 major sports teams are at home about 170 days a year (figure 35,000 a night for 81 Baseball Games, 70,000 for 10 football Games, and 16,000 for Basketball and Hockey at 40 games each). Jacksonville will have nine days. Sure, they both have concerts and such, but Minor League baseball isn't going to keep this place afloat.

[thelakelander]

^This is where removing the Hart Bridge ramp through there makes sense. Turn Gator Bowl Boulevard into a highway between downtown and the Southside/Beaches and those parking lots become more feasible for commercial development that doesn't have to totally rely on the things there today.