New Gas Station Proposed for Downtown's Main Street

[Bostech]

LOL.

[hightowerlover]

i miss pie

[Captain Zissou]

Hahahaha I forgot about that development.  It was my favorite project out of the boom times.  I wanted to buy a unit there if it was ever built.

[Jameson]

Every time I've been inside that Shell at the corner of Union and Main, the guy behind the counter is yelling at shady looking patrons to buy something or get out. In my opinion, another gas station across the street would be more of the same.

I'd like to see a Gas Station closer to the Urban Core. There's an old vacant gas station lot at the corner of Adams and Newman that would be a great location. It's kind of a centralized location to Berkman, 11E and The Carling. For those of us who live downtown but work outside of it, it would give us a place to gas up in the morning before we get on the road.

If it's a station that is open 24hrs., they could do also do a he//uva business on the weekend when people heading to and from the Downtown bars stop in.

[urbanlibertarian]

1.  The Presbyterian church just spent a bunch of money turning that corner (Adams/Newnan) into a decent parking lot.

2.  If a new gas station 1 block from Shell makes an effort to stay nice and clean and hires some security it will force Shell to improve or close.  Aint capitalism wonderful!

[aaapolito]

For those opposed to a gas station on Main Street (because of proximity to the Shell or because something better should go there), an alternative location could be the old gas station at the corner of Pearl and Beaver.  That street gets a sees a fair amount of traffic going in and out of downtown.

[Fallen Buckeye]

If a gas station is gonna open it's good that it's on one of the busiest sections for auto traffic and away from the most walkable areas of DT.

[I-10east]

As far as the gas station design IMO it's typical/regular, which isn't bad at all. I'm not sure what's the big deal with making a gas station look like the Parthenon or whatever; People don't go to gas stations to sightsee and gawk at the beauty of them. Even gas stations in Springfield, Riverside, and Avondale are regular.

[JaxNative68]

even urban environments need gas stations.  I just wish the convenience portion of this project was larger to fill the void in DT.

[Wacca Pilatka]

As far as the gas station design IMO it's typical/regular, which isn't bad at all. I'm not sure what's the big deal with making a gas station look like the Parthenon or whatever; People don't go to gas stations to sightsee and gawk at the beauty of them. Even gas stations in Springfield, Riverside, and Avondale are regular.

There are some great older gas station buildings scattered throughout town, though no longer being used as gas stations.  Jacksonville had some terrific Prairie-style stations, and a couple of Pure Oil "cottages."  I especially like the art deco European Street in Riverside that used to be an Orange State Oil station.  And I have gone to gawk at it, for the record 

[stjr]

OK with gas station, but can you say U-G-L-Y.

And, is that a dumpster bin/enclosure on the corner of Main and Union, one of the busiest corners in downtown?  You gotta be kidding!  That would be permissible?  And, no landscape buffers with open pavement?  Seems that most stations in town have that, why not here?

Another totally unimaginative solution and potential black mark on the aesthetics of the city.  Who is the architect so we can publicly acknowledge his poor effort?  On second thought, it looks like the entire facility consist of prefabricated/manufactured buildings that were just laid out by a civil engineer or contractor.

[zoo]

You can't turn a whore into a housewife overnight.

Don't know if this is the best analogy, as you usually can't turn a whore into a housewife at all! And even if it were possible, you certainly can't do it by being too cheap, lazy, or un-creative, as are most of NEFL's property owners and developers.

Really, the market decides.

The market can't decide on something that isn't ever executed. Take 3 Layers for example. Numerous people, including some of Jax's stupid property owners and developers told that business owner that such a venture would never survive "in the 'hood." Not only has it survived, it has thrived. Success as something other than a gas station, convenience store, car wash, or social service center could happen at many other sites in the urban communities if anyone in this backasswards region had any vision, originality, or understood the concepts (that are often dually-affective in Jax) of "highest and best use" and "pent up demand."

this is the same site that was the proposed site of a attractive, mid-rise, brick condo project a few years back.

This idea was better, but apparently cheap and lazy have come back into play. Hope the Planning Commission keeps saying "Hell no!" until the real entrepreneurs show up in greater numbers, and the conservative lending community takes their heads out of their tails and bets on Jax.

[thelakelander]

Really, the market decides.

The market can't decide on something that isn't ever executed. Take 3 Layers for example. Numerous people, including some of Jax's stupid property owners and developers told that business owner that such a venture would never survive "in the 'hood." Not only has it survived, it has thrived. Success as something other than a gas station, convenience store, car wash, or social service center could happen at many other sites in the urban communities if anyone in this backasswards region had any vision, originality, or understood the concepts (that are often dually-affective in Jax) of "highest and best use" and "pent up demand."

Actually, the market did decide.  There was a pent up demand that was met by the opening on Three Layers.  If the demand (market) was not there, Three Layers would not be what it is today.

this is the same site that was the proposed site of a attractive, mid-rise, brick condo project a few years back.

This idea was better, but apparently cheap and lazy have come back into play. Hope the Planning Commission keeps saying "Hell no!" until the real entrepreneurs show up in greater numbers, and the conservative lending community takes their heads out of their tails and bets on Jax.

The condo project never even had a real developer on board.  It was basically the land owner coming up with a pretty rendering of what could be built on the site to market it to sell to someone else.  As for denying the current project, I agree as long as it does not meet the requirements (which it currently does not) it should be denied.  However, if modified to comply with the code, it should be passed.

[JaxNative68]

^ . . . that's the only thing hard for them to swallow?

[braeburn]

Anyhow, back to the gas station.

I walk to the Shell almost every day and it is not terrible. From where I live at City Place I get to walk down Ashley through 1st Baptists buildings with lovely fountains and landscaping.

I would rather the Shell improve, since Union St. has a lot of traffic flow on the way to the Matthews bridge and passes right by it. The parking lot and gas pumping area does get loaded with loiterers, and sometimes I get panhandled. That is really no different than gas stations in Riverside.

It is hard to say if I would prefer one over the other should this new one get built.