The Plaza at Town Center Entertainment Complex

[Metro Jacksonville]

The Plaza at Town Center Entertainment Complex



Featuring as much as 300,000 square feet of restaurants, bars, an open air concert area and retail, the Plaza at Town Center is scheduled to open in Spring 2010. This project involves the combination of existing vacant retail space and new construction to create a centralized entertainment complex in the middle of Jacksonville's rapidly growing Southside.

Full Article
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2010-jan-the-plaza-at-town-center-entertainment-complex

[St. Auggie]

Could you imagine this in the city core!! Ok, so I got to be the first to say it.  So can we move on and talk about this is the sort of thing this town needs.  Somewhere for people to go. 

[thelakelander]

Yeah, its a spreadout version of the Landing without a riverfront view.  Perhaps the Mayor should take the $8.2 million he wants to spend on Metropolitan Park and use it to help open the Landing's courtyard to Laura Street, since the land is publicly owned and the most visited spot in DT.

[tufsu1]

I find it interesting that this space has remained largely vacant for over a year...it has some nice touches, including a faux pedestrian environment, and is located (sadly) in the hottest area of town..

[thelakelander]

Its not alone in its struggles to land tenants during this economic recession.  A ton of new strip centers all over town are largely empty.  Right down the street, Tapestry Park still has a lot of commercial space available as well.  However, taking available empty retail space and attempting to fill it by developing a market niche is a pretty smart idea.

[Jason]

Definitely a smart idea.  It looks like the developers pulled a page or two from Toney Sleiman's book on revamping The Landing.

If only Toney was able to carry out his vision.... this stuff would be DOWNTOWN!

[thelakelander]

Duval County has somewhere between 850k-900k residents.  Thousands of more pass through or visit the area on a regular basis.  I believe there is room for both and even more, with their own unique themes, characteristics and atmospheres.  Not only in DT and the Southside, but also the North and Westsides.  We just have to get our heads together, plan and implement with a long term vision or goal in mind.

[copperfiend]

I find it interesting that this space has remained largely vacant for over a year...it has some nice touches, including a faux pedestrian environment, and is located (sadly) in the hottest area of town..

I am pretty sure it hasn't been there for a year.

[thelakelander]

Its been there for over a year.  The center was completed Fall of 2008.

[copperfiend]

Which portion? The portion with Best Buy or the portion with the empty spaces? They weren't built together.

[thelakelander]

The portion with empty spaces.  Here are a few old articles.  From the photos, excluding various outparcels, the actual shopping center was built at once, even the section with West Marine. 

original article in March 2008: http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2008-mar-the-markets-at-town-center

under construction in August 2008: http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2008-aug-the-markets-at-town-center-takes-shape

Walkability article from April 2009: http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2009-apr-suburban-walkability-markets-at-town-center

[copperfiend]

Interesting. It didn't seem like it had been there that long.

[Ocklawaha]

Wow, I'm so excited I could just PUKE!

BTW, if one was to "develop" a downtown, wouldn't that include roads that connect and mass transit? Not in Jacksonville.

OCKLAWAHA

[rjp2008]

So far all I'm seeing is two more bar/restaurants surrounded by a sea of parking lots.

Typical "build it cheap" approach to entertainment and recreational needs. The entire property should've been designed to be walkable with parking garages.

[tufsu1]

rjp....land values there are still low enough that parking lots made much better financial sense than building garages....its pretty much a decision factor for all types of development.