New transportation center planned for downtown Jacksonville

[fsujax]

If the City would move the freaking Convention Center, then JTA could get this thing redesigned and built more compactly! The City is forcing this sprawled out complex! Move the Convention Center and let JTA take over the entire site and make it a true transportation center. Nothing will spur development like all of our transportation modes hubbing at this location.

and it's "Champagne taste on a beer income."

[Lucasjj]

Here is the Metrojacksonville article comparing the city's plan to their own for the same area

http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2009-sep-a-vision-for-transit-in-jacksonville

[heights unknown]

So this is not "cut and dry" by no means.  There's the possibility that the request for "S" funds will be denied though I hope not.  "Competition is fierce" they stated from all states, and the way Jax does business we probably will not draft a strong enough competitive plan and justification for receiving the funds to build this transport center.  I hope our leaders are smart and aggressive enough to draft a good plan, request, and justification for the feds to grant the stimulus funds to build this much needed transport center for Downtown Jax.

Heights Unknown

[heights unknown]

I love how they refer to commuter rail as "high speed rail."  JTA has nothing to do with high speed rail planning in the state.  Commuter rail is totally different.

Just shows "they" have a lack of knowledge about such things and its ironic that people are hired into such positions but don't really know what they're talking about.  High speed rail and commuter rail are in the same field but are two different animals.

If "THEY" are reading this, commuter rail is intra-city (example between several points/neighborhoods within a city and its suburbs or county); and high speed rail is inter-city or interstate (outside of the city but between several city points either within a state or nation).  So much for "Rail 101."

Heights Unknown

[heights unknown]

If the City would move the freaking Convention Center, then JTA could get this thing redesigned and built more compactly! The City is forcing this sprawled out complex! Move the Convention Center and let JTA take over the entire site and make it a true transportation center. Nothing will spur development like all of our transportation modes hubbing at this location.

and it's "Champagne taste on a beer income."

I agree with you FSU Jax and Lakelander about the convention center; it has to be removed from the equation, or the transportation center relocated to another location downtown seperate from the convention center.  The full realization and potential of this transportation center will never materialize or come to fruition with the convention center in the equation.  I agree wholeheartedly.

Heights Unknown

[untarded]

So are their existing plans set in stone?  It sounds as though many here feel as though we may be wasting this money without addressing the convention center.  Who are the individual players to address about these concerns?

[fsujax]

^^City Council, the Mayor's Office, major civic and business leaders, JTA, FDOT just to name a few.

[heights unknown]

I don't think there's really a smart way to build the transportation center next to the convention center while the convention center remains a convention center.  I would say convert the covention center back to a train or transportation station as a part of the transportation center and build a new convention center somewhere downtown or near downtown (which is what most in this forum and come city/county leaders have proposed).

Heights Unknown

[heights unknown]

So are their existing plans set in stone?  It sounds as though many here feel as though we may be wasting this money without addressing the convention center.  Who are the individual players to address about these concerns?

Nope, it is not set in stone...from what I read; there's a possibility we may not get the funds (read my previous post).  Competition is fierce from other cities in the nation for these funds.  So aggressive, sound, and smart planning initiatives relative to the proposed and submitted plans to the feds is paramount in us receiving the funding to move forward.

Heights Unknown

[thelakelander]

The full realization and potential of this transportation center will never materialize or come to fruition with the convention center in the equation.  I agree wholeheartedly.
Heights Unknown

The other side of this is, you'll also put the final nail in a substandard convention facility.  You think its hard for the Prime to compete due to its age, size, lack of a hotel and adjacent entertainment/dining/retail.  Imagine that being next to a city bus depot and greyhound.

Let's see.  You're in charge of booking a business convention.  Do you go to a place like Nashville, Louisville, or Kansas City where the convention center has several hotels in the immediate area and a major entertainment/dining district?  Or do you bring your executives to the center with greyhound next door and the Hyatt/Omni and Landing a mile away?

Also, you can't use the skyway connection in the argument because it doesn't even run at night and on the weekends.  Plus, its blocks away from the Hyatt.

[Dapperdan]

Does JTA know about metrojacksonville's proposal with converting the Prime into the main terminal and moving the convention center?

[Clem1029]

I agree that it takes up about five more blocks than necessary.  All because no one is man enough to bring the convention center issue up. 

This might be a silly question - but is there a reason why this is the case? I mean, from what I can tell, the transportation arguments for using the convention center as the transportation center are pretty solid. Is there something that I'm missing that makes the current convention center some sort of "third rail" that no one wants to talk about? Is there some historical tie there, or a case of someone trying to play CYA with decisions made regarding it? Or is it simply there's no cash to build a new one, so why even talk about it?

[Steve]

Does JTA know about metrojacksonville's proposal with converting the Prime into the main terminal and moving the convention center?

I actually don't think the issue here is JTA, but the city, since they own the Convention Center.  My understanding is that JTA was told to work around it.

[Captain Zissou]

Just looking at JTA's plan for two minutes was long enough to see the potential for the convention center site to become the mass transit hub.  Greyhound doesn't need an entire block to itself, and the offices could easily be integrated into one of those stations.  Metrojacksonville's plan makes an absurd amount of sense in this case.  This is a project I would gladly wait an extra year to have it better designed.

Is it possible (would the city man up and do this) to close the convention center and start construction before the courthouse site is cleared?  Could the city partner with the Hyatt on a short term basis for events??

[thelakelander]

Anything is possible with dialogue.  Unfortunately, getting people to actually have dialogue is a major problem in this city.