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#81

Downtown / Re: Friendship Fountain Restau...

Last post by Ken_FSU - May 15, 2026, 10:50:52 PM

It's good to see them finally get started. Nothing wrong with another tower in the skyline.

I'm less enthused 

I'm all for development, and I realize I'm probably in the minority with this opinion, but not a fan of this project as it stands.

To me, I think it's the least defensible downtown incentive package I've seen since moving to Jacksonville 18 years ago. $60 million in incentives for ultra luxury apartments, with $3k to $8k monthly rents, unattainable to the average Jacksonville citizen.

The $38 million cash completion grant from the general fund is the equivalent of every household in Jacksonville writing Related a check for $100 to subsidize housing for the wealthy, at a time that every dollar we put into affordable housing and social services as a city is scrutinized to death and carved down to nothing. Even on paper, the convenient assumptions and mental gymnastics necessary to even get to a $1.13 ROI requires a 30 year calculation that will make your head spin.

When so many people are struggling to even put food on the table or gas in their cars at 3.8% inflation, negative wage growth, and 5% local unemployment, our taxpayer dollars should be going towards more equitable uses than high-end finishes for C-suite transplants. With the completion grant, it is not imaginary TIF funding. It is literally drawing from the paychecks of the city's working class to build housing for the 5%'ers that are already riding the benefits of K-shaped recovery while everyone else is getting squeezed.

I think it's as bad of a look as taking gas tax dollars from struggling families and ramming them into a vanity transit project that benefits no one and barely works. Our leaders' (and to be clear, both deals predated current leadership) ultimate responsibility is to look out for the populace and responsibly steward the hard-earned dollars we take from them.

If the intent of this massive package for the tower is to stimulate property taxes on the Southbank, I hope this is the last ask from Related for this area. There's no universe where we should allow them to double-dip on incentives if they take over the MOSH site.

#82

Transportation, Mass Transit & Infrastructure / Re: BRT TOD - Jacksonville vs....

Last post by thelakelander - May 15, 2026, 09:40:29 PM

This is the type of infill going up these days in downtown St. Petersburg. Condos starting off at $1.25 million.

#83

Transportation, Mass Transit & Infrastructure / Re: BRT TOD - Jacksonville vs....

Last post by thelakelander - May 15, 2026, 06:26:58 PM

I still laugh at the idea of the Flyer being considered BRT without the dedicated lanes.

It is absurd, but a series of Councils and Mayors have bought the JTA claims.

Local politics have traditionally spit in the face of common sense and logic unfortunately.

JTA can get all the grants it wants but they won't amount to much in stimulating real TOD in Jacksonville unfortunately.

Except, it might mean a truly deserving city/transit agency does not get a needed grant.

Unfortunately, this is true as well.

#84

Transportation, Mass Transit & Infrastructure / Re: BRT TOD - Jacksonville vs....

Last post by Charles Hunter - May 15, 2026, 05:48:17 PM

I still laugh at the idea of the Flyer being considered BRT without the dedicated lanes.

It is absurd, but a series of Councils and Mayors have bought the JTA claims.

JTA can get all the grants it wants but they won't amount to much in stimulating real TOD in Jacksonville unfortunately.

Except, it might mean a truly deserving city/transit agency does not get a needed grant.

#85

Downtown / Re: Friendship Fountain Restau...

Last post by thelakelander - May 15, 2026, 05:25:13 PM

Its good to see them finally get started. Nothing wrong with another tower in the skyline. Its been decades, so DT is long overdue.

#86

Transportation, Mass Transit & Infrastructure / Re: BRT TOD - Jacksonville vs....

Last post by thelakelander - May 15, 2026, 05:22:14 PM

I'm in St. Pete and co-lead a walking tour of downtown St. Petersburg concerning zoning, mass transit, land use, historic preservation, adaptive reuse, etc. this morning (I have several pictures to upload into a future article). We discussed the pros and cons of increasing density around SunRunner stations. SunRunner is real BRT, St. Pete is built out and has a real estate market for increased density (those moving into the new luxury condo towers likely won't be taking the bus though). I still laugh at the idea of the Flyer being considered BRT without the dedicated lanes. JTA can get all the grants it wants but they won't amount to much in stimulating real TOD in Jacksonville unfortunately.

#87

Transportation, Mass Transit & Infrastructure / Re: BRT TOD - Jacksonville vs....

Last post by marcuscnelson - May 15, 2026, 05:02:54 PM

St. Petersburg just passed a zoning overlay that eliminates parking mandates within a quarter-mile of SunRunner stations and legalizes denser redevelopment along the corridor.

https://stpeterising.com/home/st-pete-approves-major-zoning-overhaul-allowing-taller-buildings-and-no-parking-minimums-along-sunrunner-route

JTA was awarded a second planning grant for TOD planning along the First Coast Flyer Green Line two years ago, it's unclear if that grant has been received or what has been done with it.

https://www.jtafla.com/media-center/press-release/jacksonville-transportation-authority-awarded-15-million-for-transit-oriented-development-planning/

#88

Downtown / Re: Friendship Fountain Restau...

Last post by sean27 - May 15, 2026, 03:30:05 PM

Groundbreaking ceremony scheduled for May 20th

https://www.aol.com/news/related-group-ready-start-building-135811993.html

#89

Downtown / Re: Culinary Institute of Amer...

Last post by simms3 - May 15, 2026, 12:45:27 PM

$30-50M should be able to bag us some employers from elsewhere?  We are incentivizing individual projects at such high rates, but at the end of the day it always boils down to rates - hotel room rates, apartment rates, that make a project feasible or not.  The driver for rates is either high tourism or big business, or both.

Having more large employers downtown who pay high salaries and do big business outside of just Jacksonville would do a lot more to provide demand for more hotel rooms and more downtown apartments with renters who can actually afford the rents required than throwing tens of millions of dollars at one project at a time.

And I agree with everyone else's comments re: CIA.  Certainly cool, could help provide hospitality workforce, but isn't going to lead to tons of high paying jobs and at the same time we need big business (or big tourism) to drive the need for more hotel rooms.  With silly development limitations and height limitations at the beach, we are limited on driving up big tourism there.  Where is the hospitality industry going to "flourish" with CIA here?  The community (unfortunately) has spoken and doesn't want big tourism in much of Jax where it makes sense (such as the beach).

And nobody is talking about luring any big companies here.  I know FL chooses to be uncompetitive relative to the rest of the southeast, but so long as the City of Jacksonville has over $100M to just give out every year, why not go out and try to relocate another FIS/Fidelity?  Why not try to bring ALL of ICE here?  No big moves from anyone on this angle and instead we want to subsidize high-rent urban apartments for renters who can't afford them.

Just my $0.02.  Where's the chamber in all of this?

#90

Downtown / Re: Friendship Fountain Restau...

Last post by acme54321 - May 15, 2026, 07:52:02 AM

https://www.firstcoastnews.com/article/news/local/february-groundbreaking-planned-high-rise-river-city-brewing-company/77-25601b98-377b-4044-a9df-057d7165a1f4?tbref=hp

High rise will break ground in February

I typically run downtown a few nights a week and they readjusted the perimeter construction fencing now so it looks like they are getting prepared to break ground soon. Used to be able to park in a paved lot between the fountain and boat ramp. That is now closed off.

It looks like they're starting site work out there.  There was heavy equipment sitting out there yesterday.  This is for the related apartments though not the restaurant this post is about.  Curious as to when they will shut down the boat ramp.