QuoteNot very much has been heard publicly from All Aboard Florida lately, presumably because they've been working on all the behind-the-scenese stuff it takes to build a railroad. And now we're learning that this behind-the-scenes stuff includes negotiations with Miami-Dade for the possible acquisition of even more land adjacent to the many acres they currently control for their 'Grand Central Station' according to exMiami.
Full article: http://miami.curbed.com/archives/2014/04/10/all-aboard-florida-wants-more-land-for-dtown-mega-station.php(http://miami.curbed.com/uploads/AFF%20Expansion.jpg)
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=113074219&postcount=230
Interesting in that they just made an agreement to share development rights with a local community redevelopment firm last year for an adjacent parcel.
They wouldn't be doing this unless they had several entities talking to them about wanting to be next to the station.
While we aren't Miami, it is promising for the future of Jacksonville to see an entity such as AAF take such an interest in local redevelopment. It makes wonder what the AAF "Northern Gateway" is going to look like in some near future.
On the flip side, building a new railroad is a lot of work, I hope that the pace of adding these redevelopments to the scope doesn't detract from their core service.