Don't let them tear these buildings down!

thelakelander · May 05, 2009, 08:18:55 AM

I don't think Carlton Jones is a bad guy. His team just needs to get more creative and break out of the Jax "Big Box or Bust" mode. If they are open minded, this site may be the perfect opportunity for them.

tufsu1 · May 05, 2009, 08:20:33 AM

I was in the area last night and noticed that the building is for sale...how does that play into this?

thelakelander · May 05, 2009, 08:28:46 AM

Carlton Jones already owns it. If he wants to demolish the structures for a pharmacy, he must stand to make a decent buck for doing so. After all, it is a pretty nice corner.

ChriswUfGator · May 05, 2009, 08:49:25 AM

Quote from: tufsu1 on May 05, 2009, 08:20:33 AM
I was in the area last night and noticed that the building is for sale...how does that play into this?

If I had to guess, he probably doesn't want to be the fall-guy. Jones has always had a great reputation locally, and this situation will probably be damaging for him. Plus he's no dummy, and everybody knows once you get on RAP's developer $h!t-list, you may as well just scratch the neighborhood of your plans. I don't think he wants to deal with that either.

Odds are he's going to tell CVS (cause' let's be honest...that's got to be who the buyer is) or some other developer to buy it, and then let them deal with the heat. That would be the smart thing to do, he walks with his profit and avoids the headache.

Ron Mexico · May 05, 2009, 12:40:48 PM

You have got to be kidding me!

lindab · May 05, 2009, 01:06:22 PM

This is just disgraceful. RAP should oppose this. Those brick buildings are great structures. Just imagine the traffic on Riverside Avenue right in front of the park with all the other shopping in the area. It is already a traffic jam morning and evening.

Pi · May 05, 2009, 02:18:26 PM

QuoteGarrett said tearing down historic buildings in such a historically and architecturally rich area is disrespectful of the community.

Is SPAR listening? Stupid developer. Everyone knows if you want to tear down historic buildings go to Springfield. Doesn't seem to be a problem for SPAR. Gone are the days of standing in front of bulldozers. And disrespecting the community and their opinions is the new standard.

riverside_mail · May 05, 2009, 07:36:48 PM

Quote from: thelakelander on May 04, 2009, 12:09:36 PM
Wow. I'm surprised they even came to the table to destroy these buildings for a drive in pharmacy. Considering the condition of those structures and the fact that they are a part of a national historic district, I don't think they'll get far. Anyway, I agree 100% with Carmen Godwin. Explore ways to put the pharmacy inside of the building and redo the parking lot behind it to accommodate a drive thru, similar to the bank down the street.

QuoteGodwin said she thought a pharmacy would do well in the area, but a better alternative to tearing the building down would be to put the pharmacy in the historic building.

"It would be very cool to go there," she said, "just like they have in Boston or New York City."

This building doesn't lend itself to retail; it's main floor is about 4 feet above street level and the placement of the elevator is awkward for an open floor plan. I'm sure the necessary changes could be made to turn it into a pharmacy, but I doubt it would be economically viable. I say leave it as it is.

heights unknown · May 05, 2009, 10:33:38 PM

Quote from: JeffreyS on May 04, 2009, 12:20:52 PM
These are the buildings directly across from Memorial Park correct? A suburban style CVS just isn't going to look right from that park. Retail within those buildings could be done. With the Publix and the pharmacy in Five Points it just doesn't seem that the need would out way the Neighborhood development desires.

I agree; if I remember correctly, this building or the buildings are a few blocks away from 5 Points in a purely residential area. I say leave the commercial/shopping center for this neighborhood at 5 Points and not have an "out of the way" CVS or any other business "in your face" all by its lonesome. What are they thinking? Anyway, that building is a nice old piece of residential art, so leave it alone.

Heights Unknown

heights unknown · May 05, 2009, 10:37:33 PM

Quote from: stephendare on May 05, 2009, 03:40:03 PM
Well technically speaking, I did stand on top of a bulldozer as recently as 06 as it was busy attempting to demolish our old building at the corner of 8th and Hubbard.

Hooray for Stephendare the Crusader and Advocate!

Heights Unknown

floridaforester · May 05, 2009, 10:43:03 PM

We need to mobilize on this if there is any credence to the story. Any time we dismiss it as "that would never be allowed", it generally does. Especially in my always forward-thinking hometown. If a CVS or some other travesty of planning is allowed there, the neighborhood welcome won't be pretty and our city "leaders" should be held accountable. What a novel idea- elected representatives answering to their constituents.

Any idea on timeline and any public meetings that will be held? Although we see how much impact turnout at public meetings have on public entity decision-making. Take, for example, St. Johns River WMD.

thelakelander · May 05, 2009, 10:52:18 PM

Quote from: riverside_mail on May 05, 2009, 07:36:48 PM
This building doesn't lend itself to retail; it's main floor is about 4 feet above street level and the placement of the elevator is awkward for an open floor plan. I'm sure the necessary changes could be made to turn it into a pharmacy, but I doubt it would be economically viable. I say leave it as it is.

It appears the building is for sale at this point. Its also on one of Riverside Avenue's strongest corners for retail, buffered from single family residential by the apartment complex/garage next door and includes a decent sized surface parking lot. I'm not familiar with the interior, but the location would be a prime spot for retail/commercial if adaptive reuse of the building is possible.

From a design standpoint, the main floor being 4ft above street level should not be a killer for retail conversion. What does the interior look like? Is it full of historical features worth preserving? How tall are the floor heights?

riverside_mail · May 05, 2009, 11:25:38 PM

There are a few things left of historical significance. If i remember correctly, one of the offices still had a fireplace in it leftover from the original apartments. Other than that, nothing else stands out that i can think of. Each entrance has a flight of stairs up to the main level from the street, the back door has a ramp. The ceiling height is about 10'. It could be used for small retail stores but I can't see it being used as a pharmacy in the modern sense.

ChriswUfGator · May 06, 2009, 09:50:58 AM

If you look in the windows, you see people in there working. It doesn't look like they're having a problem renting the space...

CVS must be offering them a bundle...

Captain Zissou · May 06, 2009, 10:43:18 AM

This is the most backwards thinking project in a while. The building should currently be very profitable, so I see no need to change it. The 70,000 sq ft in the article is very interesting, i wonder if they are planning an urban, mixed use design with a ground floor pharmacy. That would be a different beast entirely. I might be willing to consider that, but the drive through is still a sore spot.