Working Group: Springfield Revitalization Strategy

[JaxByDefault]

SPAR is unveiling its new Springfield Revitalization and Leasing Strategy, developed in conjunction with LISC, at an open house on December 16 (11:00-2:00pm @ the SPAR building).

During a series of workshops, three possible commercial development clusters have been identified:
(From the SPAR Weekly Update, 12-5-08)

1) SpringfieldTownCenter (Main at 8th Streets area: a convenience\specialty\destination area that could include a coffee shop, gift store, theater, florist and auto service.

2)Main Street South: a college(FCCJ)\neighborhood area with book store, beauty services, restaurants, pet store and clothing.

3) 8th Street West could emphasize medical\convenience and provide health and wellness services, lunch places, gift stores, and dance gallery.

This thread is a working group for ideas and comments about SPAR's commercial development plan. Same rules apply as for every working group--please remain on topic, address issues, and be civil. Discuss!

[sheclown]

How will the areas work?  I mean, what if a coffee shop wanted to move into a different area?  How, exactly, would these areas be targeted for these types of businesses?   It sounds like a cool idea, I just wonder how one goes about doing this.

[JaxByDefault]

These are possible development clusters that LISC and SPAR have identified in workshops and focus groups. The types of businesses listed in each cluster is not a hard-and-fast rule; a bookstore could still go in anywhere.

One way of envisioning commercial development clusters is to establish themes for each grouping. That seems to be the strategy taken here.

These clusters were likely picked because cluster 1 (the unfortunately suburban named "town center") is at the neighborhood's major crossroads with a decent amount of existing buildings and cluster 2 is around the Cesery project. Cluster 3 ties in Springfield with the interstate and Shands, an important corridor with large open lots desired by major developers.

My initial thoughts are that these clusters may work for a long-term strategy. However, with a down economy and a seriously dilapidated commercial district, managing three development zones at the same time may be problematic. I think it would be best to focus the majority of efforts on the 8th and Main area. While I love the idea of pushing west for greater connectivity with Shands, the closing of Quality Foods and the purchase of 8th east properties by Mack Bissett and Jack Meeks make this a natural area of organic expansion, especially in the current economic climate. Both owners are well poised to make their properties move-in ready at fair commercial rent rates. Concentrating in one area at a time will allow a more noticeable impact with limited resources and encourage more rapid organic growth of tangent areas.

There are a number of tricks that can be used to spur development in target clusters, from subsidized/lower-than-market-price leasing, to grants; tax abatements to low-interest loans.

This isn't to say people should be discouraged from developing other areas. Three Layers and others have proven you can have successful off-Main development. I'd like to see the overlay amended to be more hospitable to off-main commercial developments like restaurants and live-work spaces, especially on commercial façade rich streets like Walnut. These streets are historically mixed use and asking developers and small businesses to go through the PUD process for almost all commercial development on them makes projects too costly. (Full disclosure: I live on Walnut, and I don’t mind sharing my street with commercial development or multi-family housing.  In the long run, a vibrant urban setting makes homes more valuable than if SPR is merely block after block of single family homes).

[sheclown]

I agree with all of these things.  I suppose thinking of the clustering helps, rough-draft wise and to understand the strengths of these places and their weaknesses.  I also agree that the one-cluster-at-a time would have greater impact, much like the developers from Atlanta (first VanHorn and then Mack) did on residential blocks throughout SPR. 

[zoo]

Agree completely JBD.

Springfielders unite, and please don't allow anything in Springfield to be tagged with the "town center" moniker!!!! It is a suburban death knell...

[downtownparks]

I think 8th St west should be the easiest area to provide success on. The biggest obstacle is the lack of buildings, but with an anchor as large as Shands, added to The Proton Beam, the VA, and the interstate, I think that a motivated developer could come in and and make an almost imediate impact. With an open lot at almost every intersection, save 8th and Boulevard, you could have an array of services in historically contributing  buildings, office space for Doctors, and even some rentals mixed in.

Lower Main could have some success by building off of the Pearls success. With FCCJ campus and the ever hungry downtown crowd, you could have a nice mixture of entertainment and food oriented options. I do hope that the structures that are still standing, are left standing. I believe Hionides intention, should he ever act on developing, is to demolish the Horne Building. That would be a shame.

8th and Main has the building mass needed. So much of it would need a full build out, but its much closer to being able to be turned into a working district than the areas with out critical mass of buildings.

East 8th would provide a bit more of a challenge. It doesnt connect to an area like downtown or Shands. It has more buildings than W 8th, but wouldn't get nearly as much incidental traffic as W8th or Main.

[JaxByDefault]

The north side of East 8th is a better target for organic, local, small business growth, rather than for developers. The south side of E. 8th from Main to Hubbard would require a more significant financial investment.

The problem with W. 8th in this economic climate is that big projects are not going to start. We certainly don't want to ignore that corridor as it is a vital connector with Shands and the interstate and ripe for great development. However, with limited neighborhood resources and a rotten economy, we should be developing short-term strategy that compliments our long-term plans.

[downtownparks]

I dont disagree. I just think that the area that would have optimum immediate success is W 8th, were it not for the complete and total lack of buildings.

With an eye to existing infrastructure, the 6-8th blocks of Main is the most immediately ready for development.

[thelakelander]

I'm still under the impression that the 8th & Main area is the quickest to fill in.  There are anchor destinations already in place and enough vacant storefronts that won't require expensive improvements to embrace the idea of clustering.  However, I do believe what goes in this area will have to complement what's already there.

West 8th has Shands and will be getting a new BRT corridor.  If JTA follows through, there will be better lighting, sidewalks and more traffic at the intersection of 8th & Blvd.  The major problem in this area is the lack of buildings.  You have the potential for infill, but the economic conditions and the city's zoning and permitting process make seeing a significant amount of new construction in the short term, unrealistic.  Nevertheless, I do believe the neighborhood is blowing an opportunity to create more street level vibrancy by not attempting to work with the VA clinic to make sure their structure is pedestrian friendly.  If that clinic is going to have its own restaurant, we should be doing everything we can to make sure its accessible and can be seen from the street.  This move will help generate additional traffic, which will then attract additional businesses and retailers to the immediate area.

Out of all of Springfield's commercial districts, South Main seems like it will be the most difficult to fill in.  There are a ton of vacant blocks that hamper walkability and the medians eliminate many major retailers from even considering a location in the area (for example, anchors like CVS only consider sites located at full signalized interestions).  This means half of the commercial blocks along Main have already been eliminated from further study simply due to closed medians.  On the other hand, Cesery's development should fulfill a need in the community currently not being met.  That need or desire is for high end businesses that place a high priority on atmosphere as well as product.  Depending on what SPAR ultimately does with their building, it could be the perfect complement for retail at Cesery's project.  Perhaps SPAR should consider selling it.

I also would not forget about North Main.  Its the most vibrant commercial corridor in Springfield and it has the potential to explode if JTA follows through with their commuter rail plans.  Again, Springfield advocates need to really pay attention to this area.  Springfield's second largest employer (Swisher) is located here and there is a ton of vacant brick warehouse space that could become an urban loft district centered around a Springfield rail station.

Btw, I also agree with killing the "Springfield Town Center" name for 8th & Main.  We don't need suburban gimmick names to sell our urban assets.

[sheclown]

Didn't Swisher just sell?

[thelakelander]

I don't think so.  They have been expanding their operation:

Swisher International grows as sweet cigars prosper in Jacksonville

JACKSONVILLE â€" The smell of grape-flavored cigarillos fills the air at Swisher International Inc. as they roll off high-speed machinery at roughly 2,000 per minute.

The churning of the new machinery is a reflection of Americans’ increased taste for cigarillos and little cigars, which has fueled the manufacturers’ increased revenue and $80 million worth of equipment upgrades and expansion at its Jacksonville facility.

Swisher is the country’s largest producer of cigars and one of the biggest in the world. It has capitalized on the industry’s resurgence based on its consistent product, reasonable pricing and the popularity of cigarillos and little cigars, which resemble cigarettes in size, said Norman Sharp, president of the Cigar Association of America.

full article: http://pacific.bizjournals.com/pacific/othercities/jacksonville/stories/2008/12/08/story3.html?b=1228712400%5E1743562&brthrs=1

[sheclown]

That's interesting.

I had heard they sold out.

That's good news. 

I've also heard that some company has been buying up land around there.

[FinnegansWake]

I would love for SPAR to sell that building. They don't need to be in the office rental business, they don't need all that space, and the building itself is an energy sieve. Get a long term lease (from Cesery?) and get out from under that albatross.

[side note: doesn't MetroJax have spell check? So I don't have to keep pasting posts into Word...]

Phil

[Lunican]

^ Spell check added.

[downtownparks]

use firefox. It has a built in spellcheck. Sadly, it wont catch when you want to type "say" but instead type "saw", but its better than nothing.