Avenue's Walk Update

Metro Jacksonville · February 07, 2008, 04:00:00 AM

Avenue's Walk Update

Jacksonville's newest lifestyle center is now under construction and tenants are now starting to roll in.

Full Article
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/content/view/708

jeh1980 · February 07, 2008, 04:20:28 AM

Very nice! I like it

!

fsujax · February 07, 2008, 07:53:26 AM

There is already an HH Gregg under construction at Regency Commons. So this would be the secong HH Gregg in Jacksonville.

thelakelander · February 07, 2008, 08:12:20 AM

Nice catch, fsujax.

second_pancake · February 07, 2008, 08:23:26 AM

OMG, It's been years since I've seen an HH Gregg. I can't tell by the pictures, is the parking behind the main entrances, with the main entraces facing inward to the pedestrian walk area, or just the opposite...do pedestrians enter into a psuedo-front entrance?

NJ to JAX WHAT DID I DO? · February 07, 2008, 08:25:24 AM

Another non-downtown development. They could have put all of these establishments into existing downtown buildings. Jacksonville's land is so cheap that it is more profitable to continue the sprawl, while leaving the downtown empty. That is the problem with Jacksonville. Its land is too cheap. That is why sprawl occurs.

Everyone I talk to wants a downtown with life. There are enough strip malls already. Nobody wants another suburban mall. Nobody. Except outside developers.

adamh0903 · February 07, 2008, 09:03:13 AM

I doubt confusing one way streets and no parking has nothing to do with the descision. I do not live downtown, dont even live in Duval county, live up in nassau. But I love downtown and I think jacksonville is a great city, thats why i visit this site. I love going downtown, and go into the city a lot, but i still have a hard time trying to find a place to park, sometimes I wil actually drive to kings street garage and ride the skyway. I find intresting why people seem to have a chip on their sholder about other developments around town, being an outsider i would not want to go downtown to shop at a forever 21 or any other suburban mall store. i want to go downtown to eat and shop with places with culture and things you cant find in any suburb in america, something that sets us apart, like the Stockyards in Ft. Worth, and art districts in denver.

thelakelander · February 07, 2008, 09:33:21 AM

Quote from: second_pancake on February 07, 2008, 08:23:26 AM
OMG, It's been years since I've seen an HH Gregg. I can't tell by the pictures, is the parking behind the main entrances, with the main entraces facing inward to the pedestrian walk area, or just the opposite...do pedestrians enter into a psuedo-front entrance?

The stores face a "walkable" pedestrian area surrounding a narrow drive with parallel parking. Kind of like a fake Main Street theme, similar to SJTC phase II.

thelakelander · February 07, 2008, 09:36:07 AM

Quote from: adamh0903 on February 07, 2008, 09:03:13 AMi want to go downtown to eat and shop with places with culture and things you cant find in any suburb in america, something that sets us apart, like the Stockyards in Ft. Worth, and art districts in denver.

That would be definately nice if we could establish an unique atmosphere, such as what exists in Ft. Worth or Denver, with our downtown.

hank · February 07, 2008, 09:38:56 AM

I work right around this area and its amazing the extent that they've gone to bridge the rail line just to get into this place. It is a bummer that more dollars that could have gone into downtown didn't but this area is already bustling (in that crappy suburban way) and it won't stop until they've paved every last square foot. This kind of project was predicated by homebuilding in the area years ago.

As far as looking at this thing in a vacuum, can anyone dispute that the "town center" branding strategy is a developer's new best friend? A town actually consists of places people live AND shops - the closest thing here are 350 units of multi-family just SE of the belt road (i.e. race track).

...the PDF shows more detail: http://www.kimcorealty.com/PDF/siteplan.asp?PropertyID=1189&PropertyID2=SFLJ1189

If developers really gave a crap about making a town center, they'd build offices and residences above the main street retail and try to make a community in true mixed-use fashion. Instead, this is just an inside-out mall that you and everyone else still has to drive to, park, shop, and leave to your stucco enclave when the security guards shuffle you along at about 10:30.

They did improve upon Town Center's weirdly terminated main street by carrying it through most of the shops. At TC there's that weird sea-o-parking area at the one end that always puzzled me. Interesting that you'd basically have to drive from one of the central restaurants to Wal Mart if you were picking something up on the way out. Walking it would certainly be out of the question.

Rail stop? ...they can't even get the drive-in parts right!

thelakelander · February 07, 2008, 09:51:27 AM

Quote from: hank on February 07, 2008, 09:38:56 AMIf developers really gave a crap about making a town center, they'd build offices and residences above the main street retail and try to make a community in true mixed-use fashion. Instead, this is just an inside-out mall that you and everyone else still has to drive to, park, shop, and leave to your stucco enclave when the security guards shuffle you along at about 10:30.

The developer's original vision for this center had offices and residences above the retail shops and parking garages, instead of surface lots. However, that went up in flames when the residential condo market dried up. From the developer's standpoint, this means the entire project is then unfeasible. Since its being paid with by private dollars with the intent to turn a profit and not sit on dirt, they changed the plan by taking the dying residential portion away, allowing the retail center to move forward. Here are two of the past site plans from older threads.

2005 plan

2006 plan

hank · February 07, 2008, 11:02:12 AM

Thanks lake. what about the multi-family units on the current scheme - they could have stayed in the center? ...Or is that a different development?

avonjax · February 07, 2008, 12:28:56 PM

thank goodness for Brooklyn Park. I think they will get that one right. Even though they scaled back the residential, they are building rental units first and leaving room for for sale units later. If it was another project like this one, it would be horrible.

jerry cornwell · February 07, 2008, 12:58:16 PM

hey, nj to jax,
where in nj did u move from?

DetroitInJAX · February 07, 2008, 02:15:48 PM

They could have built this project on the now-dead courthouse moonscape downtown... Instead, arent they pushing forward with the contingency plans for the site?

The John Peyton Memorial Dirt Race Track?

Since this is the south, I guess the city may consider moving the Pecan Park flea market to that site? The finest in downtown shopping.