Introducing River City Marketplace

[hightowerlover]

new olive gardens are much more upscale than the ones jacksonville currently has. 

the tuscan farmhouses, as they call them, are modeled after the culinary institute in italy.  they feature large open kitchens and wood burning fire places.  they also have larger bar areas featuring a variety of wines from around the world.  they also offer the option of indoor and outdoor seating.

they tend to be opening new locations adjacent to brand new malls, more so than big box strip centers.  in fact i believe you will struggle to locate an olive garden that isn't within a 1 mile radius of a major mall or open-air type "town center".

it's a much fresher and cleaner family concept than the aging and outdated versions we have in jax.

[Gypsy]

As I said in a previous post, I did move back to Oceanway and yes, I am in total surprise at how large the community has grown over the past 20+ years. I will however, that I am very pleased with the RCMP addition. It makes it convenient in so many ways for the lot of us in this particular area.

Although it would be nice if a few other places were added. I'd like to see:

Books A Million
Taco Bell
Olive Garden
Target
Baskin Robbins
Toys R Us
Pearl Vision

I am really looking forward to the Panda Express and Rooms 2 Go that will be opening soon.

[brit5597@aol.com]

I would like to see such upscale restrants and stores as these but this area has been deemed "low income" and American eagle, A&F, Barnes and Noble, booksamillion, and even platos closet wont be comming to the center. this upsets me. because we need such stores but since we have been labled...

[Ocklawaha]

Once the new Port Terminals crank up, the new rail line is in and SHANDS NORTHSIDE breaks ground, I doubt ANY one label will ever again fit the Northside. Y'all are on the cusp of greatness and that tidal-wave is just about to sweep you off your feet. I'd wager in 5-10 years we'll ALL be posting, "Not another Books-a-Million on the Northside"... "Won't they EVER quit adding to that damn Marketplace?" etc...

Ocklawaha
In "Tiger Hole Swamp" near GATE PKWY! Amazing what a few dump trucks can do!

If I might draw your attention to the left, this is where the new Costco stands, and over
there is a Babies R Us going in, then there's the... yadda yadda

[Heaven Bound]

While Jacksonville is becoming a large city, it is in no way an international city.  I have travelled this country and visited nearly every large, metrolpolitan city in each state, as well as many international cities. I have lived in 5 major cities in the U.S.  Jacksonville in no way compares to any of the cities we consider "on the map."  Over the past 10 years we have experienced growth and are working toward becoming a metropolitan community.  There is a long way to go, but I believe it is happening.  One thing that Jacksonville suffers from is "short man's syndrome" - we strut our stuff, but there's not much to strut.  Yet.  Or, as we discussed in the office the other day, "Jacksonville is trying to be a big boy, but it's still wearing pull-ups." 

[oceanway_pride]

what is oceanay coming to? what ever did happen to the woods i snuck out to as a teenager?
really, all this building and reconstruction of the roads is bad enough and now with more people coming to the area were losing our morals and our sense of self. the northside has never been so crazy.

[copperfiend]

what is oceanay coming to? what ever did happen to the woods i snuck out to as a teenager?
really, all this building and reconstruction of the roads is bad enough and now with more people coming to the area were losing our morals and our sense of self. the northside has never been so crazy.

I feel your pain. I used to play in the woods as a kid. The woods I played in are now called Oakleaf.

[jacksonvilleconfidential]

I used to go muddin' and target practicing in what is now called Tinseltown.

[Captain Zissou]

I used to go on long runs from UNF across SJB to Black Creek Outfitters without ever leaving gold old dirt.  My teammates and I would spend 90 minutes running around that forest, up hills, around the lake.  Hard to believe this was in '03-'04.

[kancdafuture]

Let's see,can anyone remember that "Great" little shopping center right off Golfair blvd.The place use to be a nice shopping center,"ABOUT 40 YEARS AGO!"Everyone knows what happened to it,but all are afraid to say it.It was taken over by thugs,Ho's,no rent paying,low life scum!That's right I said it!Cower behind your P/C,and I don't mean your computer either.Regency Sq. is already down that path also,I stopped going there 10 years ago.Got tired of the"hey big man,gimme a dolla"That's why stores close,you have these thugs,hangin' out,not buying anything and scaring the people with money away,that would normally support these stores.Look if there's a bus line going through your 'hood then there's not much going to prop up the business's.Just look into the future for one moment of your self-righteous,P/C thinking "we all just need to get along"crap and see what the fate of this shiny new "strip-mall" is going to be.And you thought Oceanway would never look as dark as it does now.Wait 5-10 years,you will have "Icemans" urban fashions,Dollar General,Weaves R' us and the all important "We have garlic Blue crabs!"That's what we want people to see when they arrive at our"International" airport?It's like leaving a retard alone in a house with a box of matches,you know whats going to happen.Enjoy the mall now why you can...till my next little shit-fit,later.

[thelakelander]

Did the same thing happen to Grande Blvd Mall or Roosevelt Square Mall?  Mall decline is a little more complex than simply being taken over by thugs, ho's, no rent paying, low life scum.  Gateway's decline had more to do with age, size, retailing trends, changing regional demographics and a slow reaction by the mall's previous owners.  These are the same things that killed Normandy and Philips and hundreds of other shopping centers across the country as well.  The first phases are now affecting Regency.  Whether it dies or not will completely depend on how mall management handles the situation.  Ignore it and it will die.  Spend money on a makeover to take advantage of a retailing niche and it will survive.

[JeffreyS]

You can develope any area or let any area slip into decline. It isn't as easy as once bad always bad.

[billy]

I would see wildcats on the UNF trails.