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#71
Downtown / Re: New Ford on Bay RFP
Last post by fsu813 - April 02, 2026, 09:05:13 PMQuote from: MakeDTjaxGre@tAgain on April 02, 2026, 08:05:09 PMOn another note, I'm genuinely concerned about what it signals that we only got one proposal for this kind of work.
...
We should be getting significantly better terms on iconic downtown riverfront parcels. Full stop.
The criteria of the RFP was likely determined by the proposed project, not the other way around.
...
"Should"? The market speaks. It's very difficult to get the appropriate financing/ROI for large, quality projects in many parts of Jax, including the Northbank of Downtown, without some form of incentives filling that gap. Of note: everything is more expensive than it was a few years ago, including building large projects.
#72
Downtown / Re: New Ford on Bay RFP
Last post by MakeDTjaxGre@tAgain - April 02, 2026, 08:05:09 PMHold up—wasn't the original plan for the jail a true PPP where the private sector builds it and the city leases with a buyout option? That structure would actually make sense- as it gives them the room to build a convention center while pushing jail finances down the road. What happened to that framework?
On another note, I'm genuinely concerned about what it signals that we only got one proposal for this kind of work. Is Jacksonville really that far off the radar for national developers? I get that we're not New York or Chicago, but this isn't some obscure municipal services contract. If this was Tampa, Nashville, Charlotte, Denver, or Austin putting out similar RFPs, you'd have 3-4 serious bidders competing against each other just for the privilege of working on prime real estate. That's the heat we should be chasing.
When are we actually going to see developers actively bidding against themselves to land pieces of Jacksonville's best real estate? That's the inflection point we need.
On the design side—I'll admit it looks solid. But the financing structure is what concerns me. It feels like the city is getting fleeced on one of the last truly valuable riverfront parcels. Meanwhile, you've got a developer (Corner Lot) trying to land prime real estate for free while racking up massive incentives on 0.8 acres? That's a bad optics problem, not to mention a fiscal one.
We should be getting significantly better terms on iconic downtown riverfront parcels. Full stop.
On another note, I'm genuinely concerned about what it signals that we only got one proposal for this kind of work. Is Jacksonville really that far off the radar for national developers? I get that we're not New York or Chicago, but this isn't some obscure municipal services contract. If this was Tampa, Nashville, Charlotte, Denver, or Austin putting out similar RFPs, you'd have 3-4 serious bidders competing against each other just for the privilege of working on prime real estate. That's the heat we should be chasing.
When are we actually going to see developers actively bidding against themselves to land pieces of Jacksonville's best real estate? That's the inflection point we need.
On the design side—I'll admit it looks solid. But the financing structure is what concerns me. It feels like the city is getting fleeced on one of the last truly valuable riverfront parcels. Meanwhile, you've got a developer (Corner Lot) trying to land prime real estate for free while racking up massive incentives on 0.8 acres? That's a bad optics problem, not to mention a fiscal one.
We should be getting significantly better terms on iconic downtown riverfront parcels. Full stop.
#73
Downtown / Re: New Ford on Bay RFP
Last post by thelakelander - April 02, 2026, 07:00:39 PM^The Jags have said nothing in years about there being a convention center at the stadium. By the time this city gets around to building a real convention center, we'll all be dead. May as well put a box up at the Hyatt because it will fill the need for another +30 years.
#74
Politics / Re: Trump Presidency #2
Last post by BridgeTroll - April 02, 2026, 06:04:36 PMHe started a war to distract from Epstein... then focuses everyone's attention right back on it. Just a FYI... he cannot leave NATO without congressional approval...
#75
Downtown / Re: New Ford on Bay RFP
Last post by jaxlongtimer - April 02, 2026, 05:42:29 PMQuote from: tufsu1 on April 02, 2026, 03:44:35 PMQuote from: jaxlongtimer on April 02, 2026, 12:51:46 PMI still think Shad has a dream of hosting the convention center near the stadium. Buying the fair grounds, developing the 4 seasons, supporting the MOSH move, upgrading the stadium, throwing dollars at Eastside upgrades, planning still for an entertainment complex... all ingredients for building a case for hosting a convention center in that area.
The more likely scenario at this point is the current jail site. After we find $500+ million to move it, then we can look for the $500+ million for a convention center.
Good thing UF won't be doing much to the Prime Osborn for at least 5 years
If the City goes with Shad, no pressure anytime soon to move the jail for $500 million to a billion to get the convention center done. When money is tight, politicos love to kick the can down the road and the jail is a great project for doing so. Unless a court order requires it
. #76
Transportation, Mass Transit & Infrastructure / Re: Is U2C serious? Help me ma...
Last post by marcuscnelson - April 02, 2026, 04:34:42 PMI... depending on how you slice it, might disagree in part here.
Obviously NAVI is a disaster, and has no business wrecking the Skyway infrastructure. And it's past time to stop spending millions of tax dollars on experimenting (especially with this RFP being in part an admission that this stuff in this context still isn't actually ready for prime time) with such a desperate need to get basic transit operations back in shape.
However, at the right level of financial and institutional commitment, it does probably make some sense to invest in improving those basic transit operations with things like better Transit Signal Priority and preemption, fitting autonomous kits to buses to operate more efficiently (akin to Super Cruise on GM vehicles), perhaps reducing the cost of automated train control on the Skyway, or even running some reasonable high-frequency circulator loops that connect to the Skyway (such as to RiversEdge, maybe through Brooklyn now that infill has probably foreclosed further Skyway expansion, or in San Marco proper, or Cathedral Hill). Those are all potential applications of this process. But those are small, practical transit solutions and not a half-billion-dollar program you get to have parties and junkets for.
Deciding that now is the time to calm down and reduce U2C to primarily a skunkworks "Test & Learn" program while investing in regular mass transit that might be improved by the experiments is perfectly sensible, even if late. Doubling down on spending more money on this at the expense of literally everything else, that's dumb.
Obviously NAVI is a disaster, and has no business wrecking the Skyway infrastructure. And it's past time to stop spending millions of tax dollars on experimenting (especially with this RFP being in part an admission that this stuff in this context still isn't actually ready for prime time) with such a desperate need to get basic transit operations back in shape.
However, at the right level of financial and institutional commitment, it does probably make some sense to invest in improving those basic transit operations with things like better Transit Signal Priority and preemption, fitting autonomous kits to buses to operate more efficiently (akin to Super Cruise on GM vehicles), perhaps reducing the cost of automated train control on the Skyway, or even running some reasonable high-frequency circulator loops that connect to the Skyway (such as to RiversEdge, maybe through Brooklyn now that infill has probably foreclosed further Skyway expansion, or in San Marco proper, or Cathedral Hill). Those are all potential applications of this process. But those are small, practical transit solutions and not a half-billion-dollar program you get to have parties and junkets for.
Deciding that now is the time to calm down and reduce U2C to primarily a skunkworks "Test & Learn" program while investing in regular mass transit that might be improved by the experiments is perfectly sensible, even if late. Doubling down on spending more money on this at the expense of literally everything else, that's dumb.
#77
Downtown / Re: New Ford on Bay RFP
Last post by tufsu1 - April 02, 2026, 03:44:35 PMQuote from: jaxlongtimer on April 02, 2026, 12:51:46 PMI still think Shad has a dream of hosting the convention center near the stadium. Buying the fair grounds, developing the 4 seasons, supporting the MOSH move, upgrading the stadium, throwing dollars at Eastside upgrades, planning still for an entertainment complex... all ingredients for building a case for hosting a convention center in that area.
The more likely scenario at this point is the current jail site. After we find $500+ million to move it, then we can look for the $500+ million for a convention center.
Good thing UF won't be doing much to the Prime Osborn for at least 5 years
#78
Politics / Re: Trump Presidency #2
Last post by Todd_Parker - April 02, 2026, 02:30:35 PMQuote from: BridgeTroll on April 02, 2026, 01:12:12 PMLol... Bondi fired. Is this... regime change?
It was inevitable once the Dow dropped below 50,000 dollars.
Hope the campaign contribution she received to drop the investigation into Tr*mp U. was worth it.
#79
Politics / Re: Trump Presidency #2
Last post by BridgeTroll - April 02, 2026, 01:12:12 PMLol... Bondi fired. Is this... regime change?
#80
Downtown / Re: New Ford on Bay RFP
Last post by thelakelander - April 02, 2026, 01:02:13 PM^That's all opinion....which is why things like master plans are needed, so that all public and private investment can swim in the same direction. Otherwise, we'll keep going in circles and spend another 40 years talking about dreams of revitalizing downtown.