Van Winkel Bails on Mainbranch?

[Metro Jacksonville]

Van Winkel Bails on Mainbranch?

 MainBranchLLC Loses an Investor? Robert  Rip  VanWinkel, the colorful downtown property owner, and a financial partner in the MainBranch LLC group dropped a bombshell this week. The MainBranch LLC is the investor group which is scheduled to purchase the old Haydon Burns Library for redevelopment.  In a surprising discussion he informed a member of the MetroJacksonville.com editorial board that he has pulled out all financial stakes in the enterprise.  

Full Article
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/content/view/407

[Jason]

I really hope that this will not stall the project.  It will be the lifeforce that downtown Jax needs to really boom.  It fills all that is missing for downtown residents.

Good luck Main Branch.  I wish you all the best.

[Yourworstnightmare]

The Ripper is totally correct. The powers that be have been blowing smoke up everyone's A$$ for years.

[Big Surprise]

There is a difference between property owners, slum lords and investors.  Buying a building and bleeding the tenant's dry without ever making even maintenance puts one in the "slum lord" category.
I don't think we want slub lords anywhere near the old library - who wants the reconstruction to drag
on or years.

I don't think all the collective wisdom in City Hall could figure out how to 'help' downtown if it were on fire.

It would be refreshing to see a glimmer of leadership
Just my opinion

[RG]

Perhaps Mr. Van Winkel should consider whether or not he is part of the problem here.  He is a major property owner downtown and obviously has deep pockets yet his biggest asset, the Parkview Inn, has sat vacant for years.  I know he has had some environmental issues with it but it seems unlikely that, if he was really committed to developing it, he couldnt come up with some sort of solution.  This leads me to conclude that he is in fact part of the problem rather than the solution.  So, we should greet his leaving downtown with relief IMO.

[Garry B. Coston]

That's a cop out in my opinion, saying that he just got back from Europe and the fact that their cities are alive and bustling, frustrated him because we are either too slow or not progressive enough for him in Jacksonville/America; then in my opinion, go back to Europe, in all due respect!  Don't lead us on or give us empty promises.  

Mr. Van Winkle, I hope you are reading this.  Take note; if you take the initiative, and aggressively move forward with your plans, you will provide an impetus for others to "jump on the bandwagon" to help downtown to improve and grow, and your invaluable and important contributions to improving and helping downtown to become the hustle, bustle, central core that you yearn for it to be, and it needs to be and once was; I know you are frustrated because you are either old or getting old, and you want it to happen now, but be patient (obviously you don't have patience or the time), and even if it (hustle and bustle) doesn't happen in your lifetime, you will be remembered for your important contributions.

We do need you Mr. Van Winkle!