Carter envisions entertainment park at Shipyards Downtown

[fieldafm]

Around 44 acres and about a city block deep.  Its nice to see Sleiman make a move on that parking lot.  Imo, its better to use and improve what's already in place then turning another block into parking.

Does the 'block deep' include the piers?
I don't know much about the footprint of the shipyards site, its never been a property I've had the opportunity to study unfortunately.  Only time I've set foot on the site was for the Super Bowl when they had live music in the old wharehouses.

[MusicMan]

Put a St Johns River Nature Center on the site. And an IMAX theater.
This would be a facility that combines "small tank" hands on
experiences for kids with demo's of the various types of fish and animals that live in the river for the sportsmen
and older folks. The site would also celebrate the rivers importance both economically and historically. It also
provides for a fantastic opportunity to bring together the type of public/private partnership that are critical to
long term viability. These types of venues can be used year round, have changing exhibits, have outdoor spaces, would draw every school kid and family within 125 miles, and is cheaper than building a full scale aquarium. Think of it as a small scale zoo on that site which features the amazing creatures that make the river so awesome.....manatees you can touch, river otters, huge redfish,........... all in smaller tanks where you can see them clearly. 

After a day touring the center you could eat, then catch an IMAX, then stroll over to the stadium or arena to catch another event there, and finish up with a meal on site or at The Landing.

Top it of with a IMAX thetare that plays both first run movies and the typical IMAX fare and you have a winner.

[fieldafm]

I get what you're saying MusicMan, but save for an Imax theatre you're describing a treasure we already have downtown in MOSH. 

[tufsu1]

The inside of the Landing is pretty depressing right now. Outside entrances are a must.

actually I disagree...one of the best ideas was filling many of tha vacant spaces with art galleries...this is happening all over downtown and is a great short-term solution.

[CS Foltz]

May one ask just where the proposed patrons are to park?

[tufsu1]

CS....the lack of parking in downtown is more perception than reality....The Landing's issue is that national retailers want to know there is dedicated parking for their patrons...and all The Landing can guarantee is about 200 spaces.

[AbelH]

The amusement park on the river idea isn't exactly new to Jacksonville. As some have mentioned, it did exist in Jacksonville Beach at one point, but there was also one on the banks of the St. Johns River after the turn of the last century.

Downtown, at perched on the edge of the St. Johns River, in the area now occupied by the Crowne Plaza Hotel and Treaty Oak Park, was Dixieland Amusement Park and Ostrich Farm, which opened in 1907. Billed as the “Coney Island of the South,” Dixieland featured amusements not seen anywhere else in the region and drew thousands of visitors daily. Favorite features were the 160-foot wooden roller coaster, hot air balloon rides, parachute jumps, a toboggan and the Flying Jenny, a large merry-go-round that boasted 56 brilliantly painted wooden animals.

Read more at Suite101: Dixieland Amusement Park and Ostrich Farm: Jacksonville’s “Coney Island of the South” was a Top Tourist Draw http://americanhistory.suite101.com/article.cfm/dixieland_amusement_park_and_the_ostrich_farm#ixzz0kh3WdXpQ

[St. Auggie]

This board is so confusing.

If this had been announced for Jax Beach, which I think would be a great location, the big wigs on this board would have jumped on saying " aw man that would have been awesome in the core.  Then setup a train station next to it and it will be a hit".  Some have chimed in they want and aquarium downtown.  I like the idea but as carter said in the article he is talking about is $20 million.  Do you know how much 1 big tank is at a bigtime aquarium costs? 

Are people upset with the parcel of land selected or the actual project? So many on here want to run before Jax can even crawl. I think it is a great idea.  there is NO REASON to go downtown right now. NONE.  This is SOMETHING.  Get enough somethings together and you are on your way to all the glorious things folks want for this town.

[thelakelander]

St. Auggie, the same was said about the Landing, Prime Osborn and Southbank Riverwalk.  DT isn't going to come back with expensive one trick ponies and gimmicks that lure suburbanites for a half a day.  Like the rest, they come to life when they are designed and built out to become self sustaining neighborhoods on their own.  We've been doing the gimmicks for over 30 years now and things have not worked while other cities have spent less and surpassed us in the process. Its time to take a different approach.

[thelakelander]

^Do you think that downtown could support both a major retail site/minature carnival at the Shipyards plus the Landing?  Both basically offer the same thing and would be similar to building a new convention center at the courthouse site while keeping the Prime Osborn open to compete against it.  At the end of the day, the market can only support so much.  It would seem that the site would be better used on something that could last for a while and be an economic generator instead of a gimmick to lure suburbanites.  Examples of long term generators could be an urban college campus, a working waterfront, mixed-use integrated with recreational space, etc.  I just don't see how a small amusement park would work or be the best use there regardless of who is behind it.

[thelakelander]

I understand where you're coming from.  Although I don't think DT or the Jax market could support another major retail center, if that were the goal, it would make better sense to consolidate these types of uses around the Landing.  With that in mind, it would be great for the city to work with Sleiman to secure the existing lot on Hogan.  In the short term, it fulfills the city's parking obligation and gives the Landing the ability to really market to national tenants.  Plus, it would mean an additional $1.2 million annually would be paid to the city.  In the long term, it (and the old Kuhn lot across the street) could be developed to compliment the Landing with additional retail space.

[Wacca Pilatka]

Was the Landing intended to be larger, then downsized in scope?  I ask because "Old Hickory's Town" suggests it was intended to have 120-140 retail spaces, e.g., more comparable in size to Fanueil Hall Marketplace or Harborplace.  Instead it is about equivalent to Norfolk's Waterside.

[tufsu1]

I would rather see the Shipyards site used as park space on an interim basis...that way when the residential market kicks up again, it can again be marketed for development.

[ChriswUfGator]

I went to the landing when it had first opened, back when I was a kid. We were taking my pop's boat from Daytona to park behind our place in Astor, and stopped in for lunch. It was really quite nice back then, it had a sharper image, banana republic, other stuff like that. When I ultimately moved here many years later, I went back and was shocked it was the same place, nothing but those oriental gift/junk shops,  cell phone accessories, and football apparel. Not sure how or why, but the place was pretty upscale when it opened, and must have fallen on its face later. Probably gradually.

Since then, a whole lot more retail has been built in other parts of town. I agree with Lake and don't think the city could support yet another mall at this point. The market for that is already pretty well saturated. I personally think the answer for the landing is going to have to be as some kind of entertainment destination, a' la' Church Street Station or Ybor City in the 90's, rather than as a retail center like everyone keeps trying to make it back into. It already tried and failed at that (repeatedly), time for a new business model.

[Ocklawaha]

Behold, the rendering of the Jacksonville Aquarium Complex.




Our plan for a deluxe seating IMAX fell just a bit short




In spite of our best engineering, the roller coaster never lived up to it's expectations either.




The "RIVER DISCOVERY PARK" was a real eye opener.



All sponsored by the local brewery...



Just as Lakelander predicted, the new festival shopping complex failed to attract a following.



JTA couldn't understand why their newest transit solution was unpopular.



Meanwhile with the SPAR villains subdued, Stephendare opened his new "BOOMTOWN CASINO".


OCKLAWAHA