Since moving to Jacksonville I have often argued that a huge piece missing from downtown is some type of urban college campus, even if just one of JU's grad schools or something to bring in the perpetual youth who like to do things on nights other than Fridays and Saturdays. So upon reading that the St. Joe was moving I immediately thought this is a great oppurtunity for a win win if Florida Coastal would move it's 1300 students from that office park off Baymeadows (a la University of Phoenix) into the St. Joe building and become the urban college that would immediately impact downtown as well as greatly improve the profile of Florida Coastal. As someone currently looking at Law Schools, I would much prefer to attend someplace in an urban envrionment beside a beautiful river rather than next to a noisy interstate in a suburban sprawl. If the St. Joe isn't big enough then take a look at renovating Annie Lytle too, even better now you have foot traffic going back and forth through Brooklyn. Still not enough room? Extend the skyway with a stop in that lot across from Everbank and get some space from the soon to be old county courthouse. I bet Hallmark Partners would break ground on their Brooklyn project tomorrow, after all law students need a place to live and play, if someone had the vision for Downtown that could make these sorts of no brainers happen.
I doubt it's going to happen b/c Florida Coastal just moved a few years ago, and when they did move they were interested in moving downtown and shot down by the city.
What was the city's reasoning? I honestly cannot fathom why. Fear of too many intelligent people roaming the streets as opposed to hobos?
I don't remember, but there is a thread about it if you go looking. Pretty much everyone was all for it, but it never materialized. If memory serves, the city didn't totally nix the deal, just that they didn't act enthusiastic about it in the least. The same is true for the FSU medical school branch that ended up going to Daytona.
Here it is - Metrojacksonville provided a pretty in depth story to lead:
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2008-dec-peytons-struggles-florida-coastal-school-of-law
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2008-dec-peytons-struggles-florida-coastal-school-of-law
LOL.. beat me to it by 30 seconds!
Incredible. Sometimes I think the city leaders have never lived outside of Jacksonville. No way would that oppurtunity get missed if someone had any clue about what makes other city's urban core's tick. You can add all the improvements you want, but until you have a population that wants to do things monday-thrusday (students!!) without worrying about work the next day, then downtown will only be a cool place on the weekends...which doesnt sustain businesses.
So what will happen to the St. Joe building? Surely with it's amazing location and views it won't sit empty with a "Now Available" sign out front for months on end? Right?
I say tear it down and put up a Ferris Wheel with surface parking.
indoor mini golf!
There are a number of other tenants in that building. They will just re-lease the little space St. Joe still occupies to other tenants or new ones. Happens everyday.
Florida Coastal is probably set for a few years yet (in a lease) but I would certainly try to get them to move DT. Someplace closer to the courthouses would be more logical though.
Charlotte has used the college angle to revive DT with great success. Greenville is starting to add that element as well, with Clemson's MBA program moving DT.
Quote from: geauxtigers31 on April 08, 2010, 04:25:13 PM
So what will happen to the St. Joe building? Surely with it's amazing location and views it won't sit empty with a "Now Available" sign out front for months on end? Right?
St Joe really only occupied the top two floors for the last couple of years.
They actually sold the building some years ago.
So is it still called the "St Joe" building? Or are there other naming rights in place by now?
Quote from: vicupstate on April 08, 2010, 05:28:22 PM
Florida Coastal is probably set for a few years yet (in a lease) but I would certainly try to get them to move DT. Someplace closer to the courthouses would be more logical though.
Charlotte has used the college angle to revive DT with great success. Greenville is starting to add that element as well, with Clemson's MBA program moving DT.
No they're set where they're at. Permanently.
They bought the former CitiCards building and parking garage for $20MM, and then spent somewhere around $20MM on renovations/build-out and installing some serious IT infrastructure. They aren't going to be moving anytime soon.
http://apps.coj.net/pao_propertySearch/Basic/Detail.aspx?RE=1526122200
COJ had once chance to snag them when they outgrew their old campus they'd been at for 10 years, and FCSL actually approached COJ about parking solutions and were looking around for property downtown. But the city told them to screw off. So off to the southside they went.
Just. Like. Everybody. Else.
Grrrrrrrrrrrr....