Good evening, folks.
I'm in Riverside at the ICSC (International Council of Shopping Centers) Next Generation Road to Redevelopment Panel Discussion this evening. Stephen Dare will not be liveblogging this event, because he is the moderator. This is my first time doing a liveblog, so please be patient with me.
People are making their way into the meeting, which is in a lovely room at Catering by Liz. The schedule says Cocktails and Networking are slated for 7 to 8 pm, but the meeting hasn't quite started yet and nobody is wasting any time.
Cool. I'm looking forward to following your live blog.
It's a well-dressed, attractive bunch of people for the most part. I just met the impishly smiling Bryan Mickler, and Megan Vershave of Hallmark Properties. Jack Shad, the COJ parking commissioner is here, and so is Carmen Godwin, Executive Director of RAP. Good heavens, I can't keep track of all these people.
Thanks, Lake. Aundra Wallace, CEO of the Downtown Investment Authority is here. He's from Detroit, and I'm not sure I want to ask him what he thinks of downtown.
The organizers are trying to get everybody seated and get the show on the road, apparently.
I have a list of the questions the panel is covering, as follows.
What programs has the city begin to implement to help aid the commercial development process?
Mellow Mushroom: What has your experience been with development processes for your three locations in Jacksonville? How did the process in Jacksonville Beach differ from Southside and Avondale?
How do you establish goodwill and the monetary value of goodwill? Ex – Merchants of San Marco working together to enhance their retail district, they seem to welcome development and retail and see the impact it has on their neighborhood.
Ben Davis: What have been some of your challenges with real estate selection and development?
McDonalds Rep: Gabe, site selection and development throughout the state must differ from region to region. Which regions work best for McDonalds development and why?
Office of OED: Why is city policy tilted towards a residential property owner holding a $200,000 asset vs a commercial property owner holding a $2,000,000 asset and creating jobs. How can the city help to encourage community input without costing the property owner time and money to defend their real estate decision?
Is there any attempt to find physical or infrastructural issues to the various issues which bring commercial and residential areas into conflict? Examples are natural sound barriers like tree lines and bamboo plantings, or parking abatements in return for mobility contributions or projects?
Office of OED: Each area of town seems to have different processes for development with different neighborhood and historic guidelines. What resources and tools does the city of Jacksonville have for retailers coming into the Jacksonville market?
When it comes to parking requirements for commercial properties, why do we emphasize the importance of a parking lot rather than transportation resources?
Quote from: DeadGirlsDontDance on February 06, 2014, 06:31:27 PM
The organizers are trying to get everybody seated and get the show on the road, apparently.
Sounds like a who's who type of crowd. I'm sure Stephen is loving this!
Good questions.
I will take advantage of the pause to watch a terrible video presentation from the city. Stephen Dare just introduced panel members Ben Davis of Intuition Aleworks, the self-titled "Head Cheese" of Mellow Mushroom, and another fellow whose name I forgot while fighting with my caps lock key.
What programs has the city begin to implement to help aid the commercial development process?
In a nutshell, Mike Balanky pretty much said the City Council needs to be trained about business and urban development, because they currently don't know diddly squat.
Ben Davis, the guy with the beard, said the big issue is that being a combination of light industrial/commercial business is that they stay in trouble with the city, and that they need somebody in the city to work with them instead of constantly siccing Code Enforcement on them.
To Mellow Mushroom: What has your experience been with development processes for your three locations in Jacksonville? How did the process in Jacksonville Beach differ from Southside and Avondale?
Wow. I was too busy listening to type. It sounds like he thinks the city is more interested in fining new businesses than helping them create jobs and tax revenue. (short version).
Now Stephen is talking about good will.
Quote from: DeadGirlsDontDance on February 06, 2014, 06:54:51 PM
What programs has the city begin to implement to help aid the commercial development process?
In a nutshell, Alex from Mellow Mushroom pretty much said the City Council needs to be trained about business and urban development, because they currently don't know diddly squat.
Mellow Mushroom's first urban core location will open in Shops of Avondale on Monday:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v403/rav4guy/IMG_0112_zpsaa1ffc86.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v403/rav4guy/IMG_0118_zps42d40142.jpg)
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/photos/3027657575_HddR2bm-M.jpg)
Quote from: DeadGirlsDontDance on February 06, 2014, 06:56:21 PM
Ben Davis, the guy with the beard, said the big issue is that being a combination of light industrial/commercial business is that they stay in trouble with the city, and that they need somebody in the city to work with them instead of constantly siccing Code Enforcement on them.
Ben Davis established Intuition Ale Works in 2010. It's a local craft brewery that has been instrumental in the revitalization of King Street and the CoRK area. They are currently in search of a new location due to a variety of issues that has limited the impact they could have on the greater community.
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/photos/1096863674_sKYkr-M.jpg)
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/photos/2354323463_Gd3b5tG-M.jpg)
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/photos/2354323471_cMXZzFz-M.jpg)
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/photos/3038109037_3xHgJnK-M.jpg)
https://www.facebook.com/cookingwithintuition
So. Goodwill. Are you more willing to invest in your community if there's goodwill, as a developer?
Ben: "You want to have goodwill, but goodwill doesn't pay the rent, doesn't pay my employees."
John Valentino (owner of Mellow Mushroom): "Goodwill is very expensive." (He then expanded on the "Mob Rule" points made earlier by Michael.)
There's a lot of frustration from the business people on the panel, but Stephen has done a pretty good job of directing the conversation and occasionally lightening the tone.
Open questions from the audience!
"Is the city going to repurpose vacant city owned properties and open them to development?"
A guy from the city responded to this question with an explanation of the difficulties of selling the properties, but there wasn't an actual "Yes" or "No" answer.
Another question that Stephen rephrased as "Are you guys just pissed off, or is there a systemic problem?" Short answer: Yes.
Meeting over, and drinks are being served. Best quote: "If I sounded angry, that's just my enthusiasm."
Paul Crawford, Deputy Director of the Office of Economic Development, just explained to me that what I thought was a non answer to the question about the city selling its vacant properties was NOT a non answer, I just didn't hear the YES at the very beginning, probably because I was sitting nowhere near him. MY BAD.
In case anybody wonders what happened to the rest of the questions, the clock ran out. And now so will I.
Quote from: DeadGirlsDontDance on February 06, 2014, 06:33:47 PM
Office of OED: Why is city policy tilted towards a residential property owner holding a $200,000 asset vs a commercial property owner holding a $2,000,000 asset and creating jobs. How can the city help to encourage community input without costing the property owner time and money to defend their real estate decision?
Great question!
I think in order to increase growth and move Jacksonville and our country forward, those that possess less capital (a/k/a "the takers", welfare abusers, lazy people, etc.). should never have equal or greater influence on public policy than the true job creators or "the makers" that possess more wealth and thus greater inherent worth.
This is obviously the best and only way to achieve a truly rational, just and humane democratic society.
(This message paid for by Koch Fertilizer, LLC, a subsidiary of Koch Brothers Industries, Inc.)
Quote from: stephendare on February 07, 2014, 11:41:41 AM
Quote from: L.P. Hovercraft on February 07, 2014, 11:27:15 AM
Quote from: DeadGirlsDontDance on February 06, 2014, 06:33:47 PM
Office of OED: Why is city policy tilted towards a residential property owner holding a $200,000 asset vs a commercial property owner holding a $2,000,000 asset and creating jobs. How can the city help to encourage community input without costing the property owner time and money to defend their real estate decision?
Great question!
I think in order to increase growth and move Jacksonville and our country forward, those that possess less capital (a/k/a "the takers", welfare abusers, lazy people, etc.). should never have equal or greater influence on public policy than the true job creators or "the makers" that possess more wealth and thus greater inherent worth.
This is obviously the best and only way to achieve a truly rational, just and humane democratic society.
(This message paid for by Koch Fertilizer, LLC, a subsidiary of Koch Brothers Industries, Inc.)
That would be a pretty good idea, lp hovercraft.
Then again, perhaps there would be a better way to encourage the issues to get solved without creating an unequal playing field where one side has all the cost and the other side has no cost and nothing to lose by pursuing a whim?
Everyone should have equal say so over their own property, and everyone should have a say so in their community, but is it fair to cost a small business guy hundreds of thousands of dollars in fees, attorneys costs, and lost sales because you dont want a purple sign more than 14 feet from the ground on his building ?
I, for one, welcome our neo-feudal overlords.
Are you listening COJ governmental agencies? Wealthy property owners demand all the special treatment that less privileged property owners currently enjoy to END!
Now this guy Tom Perkins
gets it--hostility towards the wealthy is akin to the Holocaust! If you pay $1 million in taxes you should get 1 million votes! Mammon über alles--suck it poor people!
http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2014/02/14/vc-perkins-ignore-protesters-against-silicon-valleys-rich/ (http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2014/02/14/vc-perkins-ignore-protesters-against-silicon-valleys-rich/)