Mayor's office balks at Jacksonville Landing owner's plea for parking subsidy

[Lunican]

Mayor’s office balks at Jacksonville Landing owner’s plea for parking subsidy

Jacksonville Landing owner Toney Sleiman is convinced the struggling riverfront mall can attract nationally known restaurants - and boost downtown nightlife - if the city helps him buy a nearby parking lot with room for 300 spaces.

http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2010-04-08/story/mayor%E2%80%99s-office-balks-landing-owner%E2%80%99s-plea-parking-subsidy

[tufsu1]

my favorite statement is this:

"Skipper, an aide to Mayor John Peyton, said Sleiman's proposal wouldn't boost parking availability because he's looking to buy an existing lot that's already open to the public."

[RockStar]

If parking is paid by city subsidies (our tax money), shouldn't parking be free?

[gatorback]

no. parking should be a revenue generator and if the tax base puts up the investment then all the better

[Overstreet]

It will work if the parking for Landing customers is free. Otherwise nothing changes. Might as well go to SJTC.

[vicupstate]

Did anyone notice that the lot in question is worth no more than it was in the '80's.  Even in a down economy that is just sad.    

[fieldafm]

I take people to the Landing quite a bit.  Whenever I comment that they could be enjoying Cheesecake Factory while in this most picturesque of settings if not for the city's unwillingless to make good on previous parking agreements, their jaws drop.  Everyone I bring down is reminded of the beauty of our city.  And every one of them would come back for a national tenant like Cheesecake or PF Changs.  (You know how us Jacksonvillians love our chain restaurants   )

[thelakelander]

I'm amazed the city still doesn't understand the parking situation. With the Landing, its never been about creating "extra" parking.  Its about being able to set aside a certain number of spaces to help secure national tenants by being able to meet their requirements.  It would be great to have that side of the Landing renovated along with the remake of Laura St.  Its been 20 years already.  If an existing lot works, let's go ahead and resolve this issue.

[Kay]

Lake:

Do you believe all major retailers that go into downtown spaces all require a certain number of parking spaces?  How is that possible in built urban environments?

[Captain Zissou]

And every one of them would come back for a national tenant like Cheesecake or PF Changs.  (You know how us Jacksonvillians love our chain restaurants  )

Too true.  I'd rather not have a chain anchor the Landing, but even a local place would need the parking to be successful.

[thelakelander]

Kay, in an urban environment with heavy foot traffic and reliable mass transit in place, parking isn't as critical.  DT Jax currently offers neither.  As for fitting it into an urban environment, you just have to integrate it well.  For example, I've been in DT New Orleans all week.  A building down the street from my hotel had a courtyard and a number of restaurants at street level.  It took me two days to look up and notice that the entire thing was a parking garage.

[redglittercoffin]

I've heard more enlightening conversations in the check-out lines at Wal-mart at 2 a.m. than what I have read at the end of that article on jax.com.

I have tried to resolve myself to not read those comments any longer.  They make me lose faith in humanity.

[RiversideLoki]

I've heard more enlightening conversations in the check-out lines at Wal-mart at 2 a.m. than what I have read at the end of that article on jax.com.

I have tried to resolve myself to not read those comments any longer.  They make me lose faith in humanity.

Not to get too far off track, but Jacksonville.com and Jacksonville Craigslist Rants and Raves are two places that deserve a special level in hell all to their own.

12 news comments come in a close third.

And on topic: If the parking fee isn't unreasonable then it would be OK. If the landing were busy and self supporting enough to not charge for parking (E.G. SJTC or The Avenues) then they shouldn't. But it's kinda hard to revitalize such a huge red herring as the landing.

[bainsworth]

Just to clear things up:
Many are thinking Sleiman is asking the City for money to buy a parking garage. The money isn't being paid by the City.

It was already paid by Humana (in the agreement with the City, Humana and Sleiman). Humana paid $3.5 million: http://jacksonville.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/stories/2006/07/31/dail...

Also, the move to build parking for the Landing would make the city about $1.2 million per year in rent. Had the city provided the parking in 1987 that would have been almost $28 million in rent payments.

http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/082803/bus_13385355.shtml

Sleiman isn't asking for a handout, he is asking that the City provide the parking (paid for by Humana) that the City agreed to provide in 1987.

[Wacca Pilatka]

I've heard more enlightening conversations in the check-out lines at Wal-mart at 2 a.m. than what I have read at the end of that article on jax.com.

I have tried to resolve myself to not read those comments any longer.  They make me lose faith in humanity.

If it's any consolation, I think it's the same five or six people who post those comments over and over.  Every article I've ever read at the T-U site in the past couple of years has a comment from some guy named BMF gratuitously calling for the Jaguars to be moved, regardless of the topic of the article.