Old main library project awaits one big tenant

[uptowngirl]

Target in DT Minneapolis was awesome! The Macy's in DT NOLA was pretty cool too!

Then Urban Outfitters in DT SLO is awesome (and where URBAN Outfitters should be!), along with the Pier One, Trader Joes, and many local businesses. In fact SLO would be a great profile to do. It is a town of about 50K and they have a MUCH better DT, without one single skyscraper!!!

[CS Foltz]

How come no one has thought about the "New Transportation Center" being located there? Ground floor retail or specialty shops and uppers floors for JTA? If they can arrange financing for a traffic interchange they should make the most out of our tax dollars and be innovated and creative ..........or the Federal Reserve Bldg same or the JEA Bldg downtown.....same............three great property's and they are not being used for much at all!

[thelakelander]

Target in DT Minneapolis was awesome! The Macy's in DT NOLA was pretty cool too!

From what I hear, Cohens and Sears in DT Jax were pretty cool too.

Then Urban Outfitters in DT SLO is awesome (and where URBAN Outfitters should be!), along with the Pier One, Trader Joes, and many local businesses. In fact SLO would be a great profile to do. It is a town of about 50K and they have a MUCH better DT, without one single skyscraper!!!

Just keep in mind the demographics of DT Minn, NO and SLO.  All of these places are well integrated with nearby walkable neighborhoods and contain great urban fabric.  They all have the "livability" and "connectivity" elements we keep overlooking the importance of having in DT Jacksonville. 

The issues Jax must overcome are deeper than just throwing money at chain retailers to locate in certain areas.  Its the non-sexy things (neighborhood connectivity, maintaining public infrastructure, building fabric preservation, better zoning regulations, parking policy, etc.) we must address to create an environment that breeds market rate private development.  Until we can address the  things that hold the core back, we'll be hard pressed to pull anything similar to what these urban environments attract.

[vicupstate]

ANY RETAIL moving in is POSITIVE RETAIL and I don't think downtown is in a position to say, we don't want it because we need more __________________ .

When it comes to national retailers, Jax won't be saying 'no'.  It won't be in that position to begin with.  The reality is the RETAILERS  will be saying  ' don't call us, we'll call you'.

Lake is right, gimmicks and one trick ponies have been tried before and have not worked (Landing, MOSH, Riverwalks, etc.)  You need the basics first. 

LOCAL retailers come first, then maybe a small regional one or two. Only AFTER demonstrated success has been proven, do the national retailers start returning your calls.


BTW, what is SLO?   

[Ocklawaha]

I was a city councilman in Oklahoma, and my experience is completely different. The riverwalk was built, and we even had to build a river!  When Bass Pro moved in there was NOTHING downtown but a ball park and old buildings but this trick pony, REALLY did it's job.  The city went out and met with them and laid out a vision (called MAPS) and the rest is history.


OCKLAWAHA

[copperfiend]

Why couldn't we have something like this there?

http://www.thehistorycenter.org/

[vicupstate]

Why couldn't we have something like this there?

http://www.thehistorycenter.org/

Isn't this just the same thing as MOSH only oriented toward history only?

[thelakelander]

Ock, what year did Bass Pro open in relation to the canal and warehouse conversions? I could have sworn it was a later addition to Bricktown and that MAPS came much earlier.

[copperfiend]

Why couldn't we have something like this there?

http://www.thehistorycenter.org/

Isn't this just the same thing as MOSH only oriented toward history only?

I really don't see it as being the same thing. Maybe it is just me but I think the history portion of MOSH is lacking.

[urbanlibertarian]

How about a Walgreens or CVS in the HB Library?

[fieldafm]

It is my understanding Bass Pro had looked and may possibly look again in the future(once the economic environment) at the Town Center for possible expansion.  The numbers are pretty darn close from what I was told.  Bass Pro would not make sense downtown.  The only way it could possibly make sense is at the Shipyards site with a store that included a marina to sell boats, like the flagship store in Key West.  But given that, it simply does not make economic sense to have a Bass Pro downtown.  It belongs at the Town Center.  I don't care either way, I just want to be able to buy Uncle Bucks pancake and fish fry batter in my hometown 

Unfortunately, we don't have the demographic profile to fit an Ikea at this time(where I was yesterday, actually).

A smaller urban box build out of a CVS/Walgreens/RiteAid would be nice downtown, and would certainly fill a need.
The floor plan of the CVS adjacent to the College of Charleston would seem to be an ideal fit!

I'm assuming then that the previously proposed Peterbrooke factory/musuem in downtown is officially off the table?

[fsu813]

Btw, that Bass Pro box would be like taking out the Annie Lytle and every existing building bounded by I-95, Forest and Park Streets and replacing them with a typical Walmart box and acres of parking to serve it.  It would certainly pull people off the interstate to shop and even be worth driving/biking to for residents from surrounding urban core areas.  However, that traffic would not make it into DT and it would be anything but pedestrian scale.

Put it inside an existing structure......but parking would still be an issue.

[heights unknown]

Great news; but if they're going to have wine bars, bars, etc. on the 2nd and succeeding floors, I don't think it would be wise to have a college school on the ground floor. I think a large clothing store or a small home depot or lowes would be best.

"HU"

[urbanlibertarian]

IMO DT residents would prefer a chain drugstore and dry cleaner to hardware or clothing store.

[vicupstate]

Lowe's or Home Depot anywhere DT is dreaming.