Preliminary approval given to retail/office project next to skyway/bus station

[thelakelander]

Preliminary approval given to retail and office condo project near downtown Jacksonville JTA bus station

By LIZ FLAISIG, The Times-Union

A commercial and retail complex near Jacksonville's downtown JTA bus station on State and Union streets is closer to beginning after nearly four years of planning.

The Laura Street Transfer Station Business Center was conceptually approved with conditions today by the Development Review Committee.

Two buildings will hold 2,720 square feet of retail and 11,000 square feet of office condominiums, according to plans submitted to the city. A convenience store will cater to bus, skyway and trolley riders.

Laura Street Transfer Station is a project under the Jacksonville Transportation Authority's transit oriented development program.

http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/083007/bus_195826271.shtml

[thelakelander]

Anyone know if the DRC is requiring these structures to be laid out in a pedestrian friendly setting?  In other words, do the buildings face the sidewalks along State, Laura and Union, with the parking lot in the middle of the block or does the parking lot sit between the buildings and street, discouraging pedestrian activity in an urban setting?

[thelakelander]

Downtown commercial site advances[/size]

The Laura Street Transfer Station Business Center wins a panel's OK, with strings.

By LIZ FLAISIG, The Times-Union

A commercial and retail center near downtown's main transportation hub faced its latest examination by the city's Design Review Committee on Thursday.

But this time, it took the closest step in nearly four years to final conceptual approval from the body that will soon be called the Downtown Development Review Board.

Laura Street Transfer Station Business Center won conceptual approval with conditions that spanned from removing an awning from atop a door to finding a way to create one entrance in and out of the complex while not losing the number of parking spaces its prospective tenants require.

Plans for the complex show a three-story building with 11,000 square feet for office condominiums and a one-story retail building with 2,720 square feet.

The North Laura Street site is bounded by West State and West Union streets. Its lease to the Renaissance Group will eventually be replaced by a sale agreement with the Jacksonville Transportation Authority.

The planned complex is a transit-oriented development, a public-private partnership model JTA began working on two years ago.

Its purpose is to develop density around transportation hubs, JTA spokesman Mike Miller said.

In this case, JTA hopes development springs up around its Rosa L. Parks/FCCJ Station. The hub sees thousands of bus, skyway and trolley travelers daily, though the nearby retail and commercial development is expected to generate more riders.

The Laura Street complex developers are a group of local investors headed by Carlton Jones of the Renaissance Group, who redeveloped Gateway Shopping Center north of downtown.

Jones, a longtime urban developer, is one of the investors working on JTA's other transition oriented development, Kings Avenue Station.

Unlike its sister project, Laura Street Transfer Station has taken years to get to the point that conceptual approval from the Design Review Committee is imminent.

Even so, Jones and his partners have pushed forward.

"It's not easy because there are layers of bureaucracy," Jones said.

"Even so, I think in the long run it will be worth it."

liz.flaisig@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4640

http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/083107/bus_195892196.shtml

[Steve]

I've already requested a rendering of this thing.

Ten bucks I come back with Ponte Vedra Office Park

[thelakelander]

I requested a site plan and elevation, as well.  Personally, it could look like it belongs in Palm Coast, as long as the buildings embrace the sidewalk (specifically, Laura Street), with the parking lot behind them.

I say this because State and Union are the two hardest streets to cross in the area.  While traffic is one thing, there's no visual connection to pull people on foot between Springfield and downtown.   A project, if designed in a pedestrian friendly manner and interesting at street level (especially the corners), could go a long way to helping solve that issue.

[midnightblackrx]

perhaps a pedestrian bridge is the answer for crossing the road?

[thelakelander]

A skywalk isn't necessary.  Right now, there just isn't a reason to cross the streets on foot.  However depending on the retail tenant, it could become the needed factor to draw foot traffic from Downtown, FBC and FCCJ.

[vicupstate]

Crossing Union or State is pretty dangerous.  It's going to take a re-working of both streets to get people to cross them on a regular basis.  Specifically, narrow the street/widen the sidewalks, plant trees and other plantings, change the stoplight synchronication, lower the speed limit.  The current freeway orientation must change to accomplish the 'bridging' of Springfield and DT. 

[thelakelander]

While it's no picnic, there are busier roads in pedestrian friendly major cities across the US, that residents cross with no problem.  Lowering the speed limit or reducing their width is probably not an option, especially if downtown advocates are successful in getting BRT put on those streets, as opposed to Adams, Bay or Forsyth. 

The key to this area revolves around making Laura more pedestrian friendly.  There, due to little traffic flow, we have the option to widen sidewalks, enhance planting, etc. and coordinate JTA's and FCCJ's expansion plans in a way where they encourage pedestrian activity.

As for the crossing, something like changing the pavement pattern, widening the crosswalks or putting in pedestrian signals that show how much time you have to cross the street, could bridge the gap.  That, along with there being a reason to cross the streets on foot (right now there's nothing but parking lots) would go a long way with bridging the gap.

[gatorback]

Hey, can I get a copy of the JTA's TOD mission?  Or statment of purpose.  Or letter of understanding?  I'll see your ten bucks and double it for the TOD Mission Statement.

[gatorback]

100 Bucks says we locate gas stations owned by a high ranking city offical next to the new park and rides planed for the TOD program.