Is the Mayor stealing $3.5 million from The Landing Parking issue

[dganson]

The Mayor is trying to steal $3.5 mil from a trust fund set up by Humana when they sold their downtown office building ( current  Suntrust   Bldg). This money was set aside by Humana as a settlement agreement over previous incentives received by Humana to include parking for the Landing when they built a garage on the property adjacent to their building.  When Cameron Kuhn bought the property the money was to still be used for the same purpose. In the agreement this money was to remain in the trust fund if Kuhn defaulted, which he did. Now the city has decided to divert this money as part of the plan to rebuild Met Park, the Southbank  Riverwalk  and Friendship Fountain.  The only problem is that this money does not belong to the city and it is not  a product of tax dollars. This $3.5 mil does not belong to the City and it does not belong to the Taxpayers. It is specifically designated for the City to  use to meet its 23 year unfulfilled obligation to The Jacksonville Landing for dedicated parking.
The mayor is once again trying to shirk   the  responsibility of his administration to fulfill government’s responsibility  to live up to the commitments that it makes to its citizens. This is an example of why “WE THE PEOPLE” do  not trust our government. They   lie, cheat and steal on a regular basis. We the people are angry and we do not trust you!
The Mayor continues to speak of his efforts to fix downtown with the assistance of the JEDC. But he continually ignores or deliberately intervenes in all issues concerning The Jacksonville Landing.  And The Landing is probably the single best opportunity to begin a   resurgence   in Downtown nightlife and retail shopping.  The  parking  issue  has been the biggest   deterrent to the success of The Landing and therefore  Downtown.  And it now seems to just be a personal thing between the current  Mayor and The Landing’s owner.
As a long time retailer in downtown, with 2 businesses in The Landing the unresolved   parking issue is devastating. I have invested in business downtown for over 27 years and at The Landing for the past 18 years. I continue to await the fruits of my labor, investment and passion for a vibrant downtown, while the Mayor grinds his personal axe with the owner of The Landing. I and many other small  businessmen  in The Landing struggle daily to turn a profit and create jobs while our own government keeps getting in the way of real revitalization and progress. The Mayor squandered the momentum of The Super Bowl and a very strong economy when he had a chance and now he seems impotent to accomplish any meaningful change. Please Mayor Peyton, get out of the way and let our business’s prosper. We have waited long enough.

[JeffreyS]

I have never understood the city's position on the Landing parking issue. Personal axe or not it is time to get this done.

[Captain Zissou]

A lot of the language in the initial post is a bit extreme, but if this is true it needs to be stopped.  While the Landing will not save downtown on its own, it is an important component of the core and we need it to be successful.  Any money allocated towards the landing, especially by a private entity, needs to be used on the Landing. 

[duvaldude08]

Im not going to lie... this makes a lot of sense. Think about. All of a sudden this magical 3.5 million was just sitting somewhere and they decided to use. That sounds fishy to me.  Im sorry peyton but replacements pumps at the fountain, re-doing the riverwalk and metropark are not going to much for downtown. The Landing could way more for downtown if we got the right teanets in there. Shame on you John boy.

[thelakelander]

According to the Mayor's Office, they then offered Sleiman the same deal:  On completion of a Parking Garage, they would give him the same incentive.

Why would Sleiman build a garage on someone else's land when the city was supposed to supply the parking for the Landing two decades ago?  Anyway, it seems like it would be a bargin for the city to work with Sleiman to secure the existing lot he's after.  That would resolve the parking situation and force Sleiman to pay the city rent. All in all, its a money maker for the city and helps stimulate vibrancy in the heart of the Northbank.

[thelakelander]

Interesting, because the surface parking lot is already there.  Building a garage would give you a surface parking lot and a garage.  By using an existing lot to handle the situation, an additional parking oriented structure on an adjacent block would not be needed.  Plus, when the market could support extra development, it would be much more likely that the lot owned by the developer would be used for an infill project that incorporates parking, as opposed to them buying another block for development.  In the end, I know you're just explaining their position.  However, I really wish all involved would sit down and think about urban development in downtown on a holistic level for a change.

[stjr]

If the surface lot becomes THE Landing lot, does it not greatly decrease the chances that that parcel is developed into something else in the future?  After all, the lot could not be redeveloped until the Landing re-secured the parking spaces elsewhere.  Given the history to date, that looks like a tough task to accomplish.

Here is another idea:  Compute the estimated annual number of parking hours needed to equate to the demands of the 300 to 400 parking spaces promised.  Issue to the Landing and its vendors a number of parking meter or city garage lot tokens equivalent to said hours and let them give them to their patrons as "validated" free or subsidized parking.  Throw in a free pass on the unused $ky-high-way (a good test to see if people will even use the thing for FREE! - with no real marginal cost to JTA) or a bus (either of which will have the side benefit of promoting JTA's transit options) ... or run a free parking lot-to-Landing PCT shuttle.  The City meets its obligation, no land or garage needs to be built until ready or optimal, and we move on.

[thelakelander]

We have to remember that our DT is not the most desirable place around. That won't work for securing national tenants that require a certain number of guaranteed parking spaces nearby, which is the whole point for the 23-year old quest for parking.

[Steve]

Bottom line - this city needs to give here.  You can get Sleiman off your back and help turn the landing around, and guarantee to make it all back in 3.5 years, and make money after that.  I'm sorry, I fail to understand the difficulty here.

[CS Foltz]

Steve................I am with you on this one! This coulda ....woulda.....and shoulda been worked out long before now! Past time to bank together and lets get something positive going here.............like some parking for downtown!

[mtraininjax]

Peyton could care less in the time he has left......unless Sleiman wants to build a GATE gas dock for boats at the Landing, good luck with getting parking.

[stjr]

Here is another idea:  Compute the estimated annual number of parking hours needed to equate to the demands of the 300 to 400 parking spaces promised.  Issue to the Landing and its vendors a number of parking meter or city garage lot tokens equivalent to said hours and let them give them to their patrons as "validated" free or subsidized parking.  Throw in a free pass on the unused $ky-high-way (a good test to see if people will even use the thing for FREE! - with no real marginal cost to JTA) or a bus (either of which will have the side benefit of promoting JTA's transit options) ... or run a free parking lot-to-Landing PCT shuttle.  The City meets its obligation, no land or garage needs to be built until ready or optimal, and we move on.

JEDC "steals" my idea above.  That's OK, I have lots more of them where that came from!    Steal my ideas anytime.

JEDC chief proposes solution for the Landing's parking needs
Posted: April 20, 2010 - 2:59pm

By David Bauerlein

Let Our People Park.

That's the message being beamed from the huge electronic sign at The Jacksonville Landing, whose owner wants $3.5 million from the city to help him buy a nearby parking lot for use by the Landing.

On Tuesday, the head of the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission outlined a markedly different plan for how to boost the availability of parking for The Landing, which is struggling to fill space.

His proposal to the City Council would offer hundreds of parking spaces for free use by Landing patrons at a city-owned parking garage, the county courthouse lot, and a new garage to be built by the Parador Group, which bought a majority stake in the SunTrust Tower last year.

"Clearly with the implementation of this plan, parking can no longer be identified as a contributing factor in the performance of The Landing," JEDC Executive Director Ron Barton wrote in the letter to council members.

But Landing spokesman Bruce Barcelo said the solution fails to meet the test of offering convenient parking.

"The reality of it is that Mr. Barton proposes some fringe parking solutions," Barcelo said. "They are inconvenient to Landing patrons."

He said Barton's plan would still leave the Landing unable to show nationally known restaurants that parking is sufficient for them to become tenants.

Barton said in his letter the parking options would be within the range that's acceptable for suburban malls such as St. Johns Town Center and "very much the norm" for a downtown. He said it also would be a way to help the Landing by using city-owned parking facilities and "still being mindful of the current budget constraints."

He gave the City Council a three-pronged recommendation:
n Immediately designate the county courthouse lot as free parking for patrons of The Jacksonville Landing and Bay Street area clubs after 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and all-day on weekends until 3 a.m. That lot has 379 spaces.

n Starting May 1, the Landing's customers and employees can park for free anytime at 300 spaces in the city-owned Water Street Garage, located three blocks from the Landing. A validation program would let Landing customers park free for up to three hours at the garage.

n The JEDC will propose an agreement with the Parador Group, the main owner of the SunTrust Tower, to build a parking garage with at least 250 spaces across Independent Drive from the Landing. The city would pay $2.2 million to Parador Group after the garage is built.

A validation program would provide free parking in the garage to Landing customers after 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and all-day on weekends until 3 a.m. At least 200 spaces would be accessible to the Landing during those hours.

Barton's letter said those three parking options would be on top of the 243-space lot that Sleiman previously purchased from the city east of the Landing.

The current agreement between the city and the Landing says the city will provide $3.5 million if a parking garage is built that provides 300 daytime spaces for the Landing and 375 nighttime spaces. Barton's letter said that after Orlando developer Cameron Kuhn defaulted on that agreement, the city's financial obligation shifted to pay the $3.5 million to The Landing only after The Landing built its own parking garage.

Sleiman wants to purchase an existing parking lot a block from the Landing and designate it with signs as a 300-space lot for Landing patrons. Sleiman is seeking $3.5 million from the city to help him pay for the purchase of the lot, which he said would cost about $5 million. Sleiman has said it shouldn't matter whether it's a parking lot or parking garage, so long as the parking is close enough to the Landing.

Barcelo said the city's agreement with The Landing defined that parking area being bounded by Julia Street, Forsyth Street, Ocean Street and the St. Johns River. He said the Water Street Garage and the county courthouse lot are both outside that area.

"At best, they would qualify as overflow parking," he said.

He said it's not realistic to expect Landing patrons will walk three blocks through downtown at night. He said a new parking garage across the street from the Landing would fit the bill, but only if it has 300 daytime spaces and 375 nighttime spaces for the Landing.

Under Barton's proposal, the Landing would get rights to 200 spaces but only after 6 p.m. on weeknights, plus both day and night on weekends.

http://jacksonville.com/business/2010-04-20/story/jedc-chief-proposes-solution-jacksonville-landings-parking-needs