The Jacksonville Landing: Parking Myths vs. Reality
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/photos/743644671_NKvp5-M.jpg)
"These mom and pops are in trouble, and until I can get what I need and what was promised, and what 23 years of promises have been, there is a problem," Sleiman said. The city said it doesn't believe there is a problem with parking.
Full Article
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2010-may-the-jacksonville-landing-parking-myths-vs-reality
Screw 9B and put the $200M into downtown! Spend just $40M downtown and it will be amazing what we can do to get downtown up and running.
I noticed there's a public hearing tonight on a bill to use $3.5 million from the preservation fund to help resolve the Landing's parking issue.
QuoteIssue: Jacksonville Landing parking
What it means: A public hearing will be held on a bill that, if approved, would appropriate $3.5 million from the Downtown Historic Preservation and Revitalization account for the purchase of a parking lot on the corner of Hogan and Bay streets.
Bill No. 2010-330
http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2010-05-10/story/council-will-propose-moving-city-election-fall-2015While is a good thing that we have council members actively working to live up to the city's 23-year parking obligation and encourage DT development, this is actually a bad idea, IMO. Its bad because while it helps the Landing, it virtually eliminates the possibility of additional major historic restoration projects taking place in the Northbank. In other words, without the fund, buildings like the Laura Trio, Barnett and Ambassador Hotel are likely to stay empty and eventually fall to the wrecking ball this city has grown in love with.
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/photos/638114839_2XQAF-M.jpg)
The pending restoration of the Ambassador Hotel into a mixed-use loft building adjacent to the new courthouse, is an example of a project that would die if the historic preservation fund is depleted. http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2009-sep-ambassador-hotel-rehabilitation-plans-revealed
Below, an email Metro Jacksonville received in regards to the depletion of the preservation fund:
QuoteSam Easton was just getting ready to start on the hotel converting it
from 120 hotel to 52 unit apartments and was counting on help from the
city(once offered $1 million from the historic preservation fund). If
that money is used for a parking garage for the Landing the Ambassador
will never get off the ground.
While, we definitely need to live up to our 23-year-old parking obligation to help make the Landing a more successful place, the answer should not mean weakening our historic preservation efforts as a result. Instead, that $3.5 million needs to be taken from a insignificant project like Metropolitan Park. Subtract, $3.5 from $8.2 and you still end up with $4.7 million for phase 1 Metropolitan Park improvements, plus take care of the Landing issue. Think Jacksonville!
Great post. Really sets things into perspective!
Why are they dumping so much money into Metro Park? I don't go over there frequently, probably 3 or 4 times a year, but even so I don't see where it needs $8.2 million worth of work. Or am I asking a stupid question?
I love that MetroJacksonville.com is keeping the light on this issue. We need to settle this one now. I vote for a House of Blues and Epic Burger.
Quote from: Bativac on May 11, 2010, 08:51:37 AM
Why are they dumping so much money into Metro Park? I don't go over there frequently, probably 3 or 4 times a year, but even so I don't see where it needs $8.2 million worth of work. Or am I asking a stupid question?
It is called maintenance...the Kids Kampus part has been open for about 10 years with virtually no upkeep done.
Does the Power Plant in Baltimore (Barnes & Noble, Hard Rock, and ESPN) have dedicated parking somewhere...the only thing I know of is a garage 2 blocks away that was built a few years ago.
Its a step above maintenance. Its a part of a plan to completely reconfigure a significant portion of the park into something that it currently is not. The simple solution would be to break the improvement plan into another series of phases. Taking this rouet will make it longer to revamp the park to the mayor's vision but who cares? Either way, as long as its as isolated as it is, its not going to do much for the health and vibrancy of downtown.
I think preserving our historic building stock is much more important for DT than met park at this time. Look what the Carling and 11E have already done to re-energize the northbank. Imagine if we had 7+ buildings of that caliber.
I agree that met park should be phased, but I think we could also find a way to cut some costs. $8 million for a seldom used park is too much. I think we could reduce the cost of the park to $7 mil, cut it into 2 phases, of $3.5M each, and presto! There's your money for the parking lot/garage.
Quote from: tufsu1 on May 11, 2010, 09:22:29 AM
Does the Power Plant in Baltimore (Barnes & Noble, Hard Rock, and ESPN) have dedicated parking somewhere...the only thing I know of is a garage 2 blocks away that was built a few years ago.
Baltimore's Inner Harbor has a significant amount of foot traffic that Jax does not, which can alter parking requirements for chains. Nevertheless, there are a ton of garages in the immediate area. Most are integrated with adjacent buildings. I'm not too familiar with the origins of Cordish's Power Plant project but it would be hard to imagine that they don't have parking agreements with a couple of nearby lots. Btw, Cordish just purchased another garage in the area to ensure the success of their investments in Baltimore's Inner Harbor.
Quote"Our objective from the beginning stages of development was to create a cohesive project that supported every aspect of the complex. Our first objective will be to upgrade the garage to a level consistent with the rest of Power Plant Live."
The company has spent more than $11 million to upgrade 34 Market Place, a 300,000-square- foot property a block off the Inner Harbor, into a series of bars, restaurants and offices that opened last year, according to the BDC, the city's development arm, which negotiated the lease.
Selling the property and the Frederick Street garage to the developer as one unit will "enhance the likelihood of success for the project and for the revitalization of the overall marketplace area," according to a summary the BDC submitted to the city board.
The BDC also said that the city would get a lump-sum payment of $2 million, instead of the $1.6 million that the lease payments would likely have amounted to over its 75-year term. The lease projections are far lower than the $1.9 million over 20 years that city officials said two years ago that the lease would produce.
Under that lease, Cordish is paying 25 percent of gross revenue in rent, less the company's expenses and a 4.5 percent management fee. The company was also guaranteed a 16 percent return on project costs before it had to pay rent.
Cordish has proposed paying $3.5 million for the garage, which it does not control under its lease. The company would also spend $700,000 to upgrade the 275-car facility.
The garage was appraised by the city in September 2001 for $3.8 million. But BDC said it needed at least $410,000 in repair work.
http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2002-01-16/business/0201160269_1_cordish-garage-power-plant
How many people use Kids Kampus at Metro Park each year? My guess is, other than public school groups who stop by for lunch after downtown field trips (a useless exercise, something I can say based on personal experience) not many.
Pay for Landing parking with Metro Park money and leave the historic preservation funds alone!
FYI, Red Robin has indeed looked at expanding into Jacksonville... around the Hodges/Beach Blvd area. So, certain national chains mentioned above that are currently not in Jacksonville have shown interest in our market.
Quote from: Miss Fixit on May 11, 2010, 09:43:02 AM
How many people use Kids Kampus at Metro Park each year? My guess is, other than public school groups who stop by for lunch after downtown field trips (a useless exercise, something I can say based on personal experience) not many.
Pay for Landing parking with Metro Park money and leave the historic preservation funds alone!
Friend of mine had worked as a lifeguard at Kids Kampus for several years... Hannah Park's small 'water park' near the lake gets more kids during the summer than Kids Kampus. If not for the buses that Miss Fixit describes, its useage would be far less.
I have been to Baltimore many times and the Inner Harbor is great. Imagine if we could solve the Landing's parking issue and build a world class aquarium next door. Last time I went, there was also a decommissioned submarine that you could tour.
Quote from: fieldafm on May 11, 2010, 10:12:19 AM
FYI, Red Robin has indeed looked at expanding into Jacksonville... around the Hodges/Beach Blvd area. So, certain national chains mentioned above that are currently not in Jacksonville have shown interest in our market.
Not shocking. I am sure they are also looking at the RCMP, SJTC and the beaches.
Those guys are playing with real money and not theory or a belief that parking, visibility and policy don't have a significant impact on site selection within a market. To be honest, you can't blame them. The demographics are better in that area and there are no public policies in place that have a negative impact on business.
Quote from: thelakelander on May 11, 2010, 10:32:21 AM
Those guys are playing with real money and not theory or a belief that parking, visibility and policy don't have a significant impact on site selection within a market.
Exactly!
Quote from: thelakelander on May 11, 2010, 10:32:21 AM
Those guys are playing with real money and not theory or a belief that parking, visibility and policy don't have a significant impact on site selection within a market. To be honest, you can't blame them. The demographics are better in that area and there are no public policies in place that have a negative impact on business.
I completely agree. I don't blame them either. I don't blame Darden for opening the first local Bahama Breeze at the SJTC.
I went to Bahama Breeze last Thursday night and as I was sitting outside enjoying the lovely view of SJTC Parkway.....I thought to myself what a waste....being down on the river would be so much better!
You know what would be nice? A casino or riverboat gambling. That would generate revenue and tourism.
Quote from: fsujax on May 11, 2010, 11:14:36 AM
I went to Bahama Breeze last Thursday night and as I was sitting outside enjoying the lovely view of SJTC Parkway.....I thought to myself what a waste....being down on the river would be so much better!
Every Bahama Breeze I've seen has had a similar view...how nice it would be to eat at a waterfront one.
I have an out of town friend who came into Jax for a meeting at Fidelity on the river and then ate dinner at Ruth's Chris over looking the river at night. He always describes Jax in glowing terms as being gorgeous. I wonder if they had booked the meeting at one of the JTB hotels and he had eaten at the SJTC how his picture would be. I'll bet he would say nice and not think a second thing about it.
The parking issue will be decided on tonight at the city council meeting at 5. Its open to the public. I hope they reticfy this and fufill their obligation to the landing. Thats only right.
It appears the Mayor believes that the improvements to Metro Park will make DT more attractive to potential residents. As a DT resident I've only been to Metro Park a few times in 7 years for special events. I'm sure it's nice for families in Fairfield and Eastside.
What would make DT more attractive to potential residents is more businesses. Mr. Mayor please make it easier and cheaper to open and operate a business in this city.
Downtown needs a vibrant Landing and some retail, Drug store, Duncan Donuts type businesses on State and Union.
Well its not hard to beleive they cant get this done. This city is really start to wear on me, and having just visited Baltimore's downtown water front I'm really disappointed.
Quote from: Wacca Pilatka on May 11, 2010, 12:04:02 PM
Quote from: fsujax on May 11, 2010, 11:14:36 AM
I went to Bahama Breeze last Thursday night and as I was sitting outside enjoying the lovely view of SJTC Parkway.....I thought to myself what a waste....being down on the river would be so much better!
Every Bahama Breeze I've seen has had a similar view...how nice it would be to eat at a waterfront one.
the one in Tampa has a water view....but yes, most are just surburban locations
Quote from: thelakelander on May 11, 2010, 09:41:38 AM
Baltimore's Inner Harbor has a significant amount of foot traffic that Jax does not, which can alter parking requirements for chains. Nevertheless, there are a ton of garages in the immediate area. Most are integrated with adjacent buildings. I'm not too familiar with the origins of Cordish's Power Plant project but it would be hard to imagine that they don't have parking agreements with a couple of nearby lots. Btw, Cordish just purchased another garage in the area to ensure the success of their investments in Baltimore's Inner Harbor.
I only asked because you show a pic of the Power Plan project as part of the reasoning for retail needing dedcicated parking.
btw....I dn't think the Power Plant project itself was originally done by Cordish...pretty sure they took over later and then developed Power Plant Live across the street in the early 2000s
QuoteI only asked because you show a pic of the Power Plan project as part of the reasoning for retail needing dedcicated parking.
Outside of a select few ultra urban environments (ex. NYC, Chicago's Loop, San Francisco, etc.) across the country, you'll be hard pressed to find several examples of major chains opening up shop without adequate parking nearby.
The Baltimore image was used to show examples of entertainment based chain retailers that typically require adequate parking as a part of their site selection process, not the Power Plant itself. While Baltimore has decent pedestrian traffic (which can impact the ultimate number of dedicated spaces required by a private entity) there are also a number of garages and lots nearby. They just happen to be integrated with adjacent buildings, similar to what was once proposed with Kuhn and the garage to accommodate Kuhn's project and the Landing's needs.
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/photos/592128380_A8ARz-M.jpg)
Another shot taken from the Power Plant. Across the street (behind Best Buy), there is a large parking garage that probably serves the needs of several projects in the area, including the plant's tenants. While some of these developments may be newer, I would not be suprised if they replaced surface lots in the area. By the same token, the same could happen with the lot Sleiman wants across the street when the time comes.(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/photos/592128543_ynwod-M.jpg)
You can see another large multi level garage across the street from that one (on the right). Both of these structures are literally across the street from the Power Plant development.
Downtown Vision's newest advocacy paper (Turning the Corner Rethinking Downtown) is a wonderful read that offers a very clear and concise assesment of the problems downtown has faced as well as suggestions for improvement that are rooted in a deep understanding of the problems. The general consensus here is that the focus needs to be centered in the core and the Landing is unquestionably the heart of the core. Neglecting it is quite simply to neglect downtown in general. As this study clearly concludes, the time to just 'get by' in relation to downtown is over.
Among some great passages from the paper include:
A tendency to spread limited resources over too large an area rather than concentrate on the revitalization of the blighted core of Downtown.
A large supply of vacant and undeveloped land in Downtown outside the core, including approximately 125 acres on the riverfront alone, which can make it more desirable to develop on the periphery of Downtown than in the core.
An overemphasis on large, expensive capital projects to revitalize Downtown, with too little attention to maintenance, place-making and the creation of a vibrant Downtown experience.
Lack of coordinated, consistent and sustained leadership by government and businesses concerning Downtown.
Lack of agreement on a vision and game plan for what is needed to revitalize Downtown.
Increased competition from the suburbs.
Other great lines...
This is the cultural and historical heart of the city and the area most severely affected by the problems described in this paper. During the past ten years, more than $1.1 billion in development has taken place in Downtown, of which less than one third was in the urban core.
Downtown must have consistent, energized and ambitious civic, business and government leadership with a shared vision, greater ambition and a willingness to consider new ways of thinking about Downtown. We have often sold ourselves short, adopting a “get by†attitude toward Downtown’s revitalization and many other aspects of our city. And futher... It is evident from visits to successful urban areas that what they have in common is dedicated and ambitious leadership that is consistent over many years.
Downtown currently does not have a consistent, compelling product or experience to make the walkable core a day-to-day destination or to entice visitors to stay once they are here.
The “walkable†core is what people mean when they refer to Downtown. When people talk about Downtown, and their negative perceptions of Downtown, they are not talking about the Sports Complex, LaVilla, most of the Southbank or Riverside Avenue â€" they are talking about the walkable Northbank core of Downtown and the Southbank Riverwalk and Friendship Park, which are easily accessed by pedestrians from the Northbank via the Main Street Bridge and water taxi (see Map 1). This is the “core†referred to in this paper. Similarly, most people consider the Sports Complex, LaVilla and Riverside Avenue/Brooklyn as adjacent neighborhoods that one has to drive to from the core.
Good design â€" both public and private â€" is key to a successful retail environment and building a sense of place in Downtown.
In fact, significant progress can be made in the next three years, with an immediate start on inexpensive but strategic initiatives, such as higher maintenance and design standards, regulatory and governance reforms and emphasis on improving the street environment and connectivity.
Why is fixing the Landing's parking situation and allowing it an environment to suceed so important? All we need to do is look at the latest State of Downtown paper put together by DVI and the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission:
Estimated Visits to Downtown by Category
Source: City of Jacksonville Office of Special Events, Downtown Venues, SMG, Visit Jacksonville & Downtown Vision, Inc.
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Professional Sports Team Events 939,294 979,708 995,683 1,049,314 887,441
Special Events10 1,271,689 1,945,457 1,353,404 1,480,000 1,509,300
Sports Complex Facilities 961,301 982,417 955,686 945,251 892,203
Theatres & Performing Arts Centers 616,826 644,479 743,521 585,270 505,863
Museums & Galleries 237,481 321,975 284,000 267,374 242,525
The Jacksonville Landing 3,500,000 4,100,000 4,500,000 4,500,000 4,050,000
Main Library N/A 337,855 771,141 807,745 894,182
Nightlife Venues 156,000 256,000 275,000 300,000 300,000
Churches 821,200 821,200 821,200 821,200 821,200
Business 1,435,200 1,435,200 1,435,200 1,435,200 1,435,200
Convention Center 221,530 233,517 227,096 159,554 203,991
Hotels 575,240 587,068 612,959 675,277 643,607
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Total 10,735,761 12,644,876 12,974,890 13,027,357 12,385,512
33% of all 'visits' downtown are the result of the Landing. Nothing else even comes close. To allow the quintessential centerpiece of our city to fail, is to allow our community at large to fail. As DVI so often eloquently quotes our former mayor...
“As Downtown goes, so goes your city. . . . [People] judge
a city on Downtown and it can’t be a ghost town.â€
-Jake Godbold
(http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_A2D2m8pAw58/SibfzlV7bLI/AAAAAAAABPw/6u0eC3mGBSs/s400/tumbleweed.jpg)
OCKLAWAHA
$3.5 million in a historic trust fund and we can't save Fire Station 5 or the Eartha White's 1899 schoolhouse bulldozed by FDOT and 9B? And, now we are faced with another false choice of historic preservation vs. the Landing's parking?
How about a new road vs. the Landing? or a new road vs. historic preservation? or a new road vs. a street car down Bay Street? or a new road vs. educating our kids? or a new road vs. almost anything else? One 5 to 10 mile road project would pay for so many of our other needs with a big impact on many more in our community. How unbelievable it is that new roads always seem to get funded while almost everything else is subject to sacrifice? Until this changes, our quality of life will be headed down.
Our politico's and bureaucrats are not serving us well. And, the voters are not paying enough attention to why we have these issues.
Quote from: stjr on May 11, 2010, 06:25:54 PM
$3.5 million in a historic trust fund and we can't save Fire Station 5 or the Eartha White's 1899 schoolhouse bulldozed by FDOT and 9B? And, now we are faced with another false choice of historic preservation vs. the Landing's parking?
How about a new road vs. the Landing? or a new road vs. historic preservation? or a new road vs. a street car down Bay Street? or a new road vs. educating our kids? or a new road vs. almost anything else? One 5 to 10 mile road project would pay for so many of our other needs with a big impact on many more in our community. How unbelievable it is that new roads always seem to get funded while almost everything else is subject to sacrifice? Until this changes, our quality of life will be headed down.
Our politico's and bureaucrats are not serving us well. And, the voters are not paying enough attention to why we have these issues.
+1,000,000...
Did anything of substance come out of this city council meeting, or was it just the 3.5 million dollar question being posed?
Those pics of Baltimore make Jax look like a joke. So very sad.
Quote from: St. Auggie on May 11, 2010, 08:38:08 PM
Those pics of Baltimore make Jax look like a joke. So very sad.
And those pictures only scratch the surface. But keep in mind that it was not long ago that Baltimore was in much worse shape than we are now.
exactly...as many have advocated here, Baltimore put a plan together in the early 1970s....the plan involved replacing the aging wharves with a pedestrian promenade along the water (sound familiar?)
The difference is they stuck with the plan and implemented it gradually over the last 30 years....just about every major project (aquarium, harborplace, convention center, science center, baseball stadium, light rail, power plant, football stadium) were built in the inner harbor district....creating a critical mass.
Downtown Jax did not get to be a disaster overnight, and it can't be fixed overnight either. The only way DT has gotten so screwed up is by decades of neglect, no consistent planing or execution. The Old Money in this town absolutely does not give a Rats behind about downtown. If it did, DT would be awesome. We dump $400 million into one block (new courthouse) and have nothing left over for the entire rest of the city. As for parking, there is a large surface lot directly across the street from The Landing. Who owns that? A 3 story 450 space garage for the Landing right there will do the trick.
We can't get the city to give $3.5 mill to honor a 23 year old obligation. Excluding land costs, at something like 20k per parking space to construct a garage, who is going to pony up the cash?
Quote from: MusicMan on May 11, 2010, 09:40:47 PM
Downtown Jax did not get to be a disaster overnight, and it can't be fixed overnight either. The only way DT has gotten so screwed up is by decades of neglect, no consistent planing or execution.
The bad news is we've been at this redevelopment thing just as long as Baltimore and our results are horrible (for reasons mentioned in previous posts above). However, the good news is, we don't have to wait another 30 years for vibrancy or start over from scratch. We have great assets (ex. Landing, riverwalks, TU center, the hotels, Bay Street, library, skyway, etc.) already in place. We can achieve vibrancy pretty quickly if we consolidate our efforts on better connecting and utilizing our existing urban assets within compact areas. There are enough good and bad examples across the US to select the right redevelopment path to go. This isn't rocket science. We just have to accept we have a problem on our hands, open our eyes and start doing the right thing.
Norfolk's Waterside has a parking garage attached to it. I know this cause we got "kicked" out of it a few decades ago at closing time.
I really don't understand why this issue has taken so long to solve in this city. Are our leaders really that dense? All it takes is a trip to nearly any regional retail center across the US to see that the majority of successful centers have dedicated parking for their tenants. What does it really say of our city's chances at revitalizing downtown if we can't work to improve and better integrate downtown's major destination with its immediate surrounding area?
I have no idea what our leaders have been doing for the past 30 years, because our DT is just as screwed as it was 30 years ago, and our city is really in need on help now, and we have no money to do it. Isn't that nice.
Quotecreating a critical mass
That sums it up!
Lake - Why is Sleiman bringing up parking at a time when there is no money in the city? What idiot brings it up now? Hasn't he had the property for a few years? Why now? Leverage for something else? I don't think his ethics are in the right place, what with the City employees needing to take 5% paycuts, libraries closing, and services being cut all over the city. Now when the City has a 60 million dollar hole, NOW is the time for him to raise such a stink over parking?
Fact of the matter is he got screwed in his deal with Rouse, and now is taking it out on the City. Who takes over the Landing without a clear definition of parking? He bit off the apple, he knew what he was doing, this was not his first development. He'll find a way out, but now is not the time to go and subsidize 3.5 million in a parking lot. It would be far cheaper to tell him to STICK IT, and run diesel bus trolleys to the spaces available for his patrons.
Its not as if the Landing is a destination to rival SJTC, either. The high end shops have not materialized, not because of parking, but because there is not a critical mass downtown.
Quote from: fsujax on May 11, 2010, 11:14:36 AM
I went to Bahama Breeze last Thursday night and as I was sitting outside enjoying the lovely view of SJTC Parkway.....I thought to myself what a waste....being down on the river would be so much better!
I went to Bahama Breeze tonight and thought what a waste...of my time and money. It's a caribbean themed Chili's. Not going back.
Quote from: mtraininjax on May 12, 2010, 12:00:34 AM
Quotecreating a critical mass
That sums it up!
Lake - Why is Sleiman bringing up parking at a time when there is no money in the city? What idiot brings it up now? Hasn't he had the property for a few years? Why now? Leverage for something else? I don't think his ethics are in the right place, what with the City employees needing to take 5% paycuts, libraries closing, and services being cut all over the city. Now when the City has a 60 million dollar hole, NOW is the time for him to raise such a stink over parking?
Fact of the matter is he got screwed in his deal with Rouse, and now is taking it out on the City. Who takes over the Landing without a clear definition of parking? He bit off the apple, he knew what he was doing, this was not his first development. He'll find a way out, but now is not the time to go and subsidize 3.5 million in a parking lot. It would be far cheaper to tell him to STICK IT, and run diesel bus trolleys to the spaces available for his patrons.
Its not as if the Landing is a destination to rival SJTC, either. The high end shops have not materialized, not because of parking, but because there is not a critical mass downtown.
So you agree about what the problem is... but your answer is to do nothing about it? Do you do business the same way you did 10 years ago, 5 years ago.... 1 year ago? Money and effort is being spent by the city to make Laura Street the main walkable causeway in the core. With that in mind would you rather ignore the anchor of this project(The Landing), or would you instead want to continue to create that critical mass(the intention of the Laura Street renovations) by doing something as simple as honoring your contract with the Landing so that a couple of national restaurant chains can anchor this coridoor?
DVI spent a great deal of effort in putting together their latest paper... and one of the key points was that the attitude of 'just getting by' in regards to the core is one of this city's biggest problems. The time to close our eyes and ignore opportunity is over.
We really can not wait until the city says oh we have plenty of money lets spend it. Can you imagine the heart attacks at the next concerned taxpayers meeting. Pay for the parking now save the reasons, excuses or alternative ideas for someone else.
Quote from: mtraininjax on May 12, 2010, 12:00:34 AM
Quotecreating a critical mass
Lake - Why is Sleiman bringing up parking at a time when there is no money in the city? What idiot brings it up now? Hasn't he had the property for a few years? Why now? Leverage for something else? I don't think his ethics are in the right place, what with the City employees needing to take 5% paycuts, libraries closing, and services being cut all over the city. Now when the City has a 60 million dollar hole, NOW is the time for him to raise such a stink over parking?
All this and the city can find $8.2 million to burn in Metropolitan Park? Going back to the Rouse days, its been 23 years already. Maybe he's speaking up because he wants to make his investment a success, is getting tired of waiting for the city to live up to their obligation and noticed they recently moved the money intended to solve the problem to Metropolitan Park? Imo, this is a great time for him to go on a crusade to get this thing finally taken care of.
QuoteFact of the matter is he got screwed in his deal with Rouse, and now is taking it out on the City. Who takes over the Landing without a clear definition of parking? He bit off the apple, he knew what he was doing, this was not his first development. He'll find a way out, but now is not the time to go and subsidize 3.5 million in a parking lot. It would be far cheaper to tell him to STICK IT, and run diesel bus trolleys to the spaces available for his patrons.
That won't get him any anchor tenants, which is what the whole issue is about.
QuoteIts not as if the Landing is a destination to rival SJTC, either. The high end shops have not materialized, not because of parking, but because there is not a critical mass downtown.
The Landing is a regional retail complex, so its market pull is larger than downtown. As expressed in this article and those linked by several media outlets, the goal is not to make it a SJTC. The goal is to land a few restaurant/entertainment oriented anchors. Those guys aren't coming without the dedicated parking the city promised two decades ago.