JaxPort widens cruise terminal site search to both west and east of Dames Point

[Charles Hunter]

Most of Site 1 is west of the JEA power lines - no go.  They come thru the "u" of BloUnt Island - you can see the pylons in Mill Cove.  And if there is room, all the access would be on winding, cul-de-sac style neighborhood streets.

Most of Site 2 is the Fort Caroline National Monument / Ribault Monument - part of the Timuquan Preserve.  Between the two monument areas are several waterfront homes.  Perhaps the "sand mine" at the east end of Site 2 is possible.

[Jim]

Here are the 2 locations I'm suggesting if Mayport goes NIMBY.

[Mattius92]

There I added three of the best alternative locations to the Mayport location. And of all of them S1 seems to be the best. Its closer to DT Jax, it has plenty of room to expand, and it has no one to worry about. Plus its at a sand mine, so that should help with the construction.

[thelakelander]

I agree that would be most ideal.   We certainly feel little impact on the surrounding are with the current temp location.

But I can't help but wonder if Mayport WANTS the impact a cruise terminal would bring.  An odd notion to most of us but many there seem dead set against anything other than being as quaint and quiet as possible (ironic being next to a naval air field).

As mentioned earlier, even the few that remain in what's left of Mayport are split on the issue.  The businesses and industry that people claim to want to preserve are the exact places in need of the extra customers a terminal would bring.

One Mayport business owner has supported moving the cruise terminal from Dames Point to Mayport since day one.

“I support it 100 percent and always have. I wish it was here already,” said Safe Harbor Seafood owner Gerald Pack in a telephone interview after the meeting, which he did not attend.

A lifelong fisherman and beneficiary of the seafood industry, Pack said new federal regulations over the fishing industry have almost crippled his business.

“I am one breath away from closing,” he said.

Pack said those opposed to the cruise terminal, if Mayport is deemed the proper site, should stay out of the debate.

“Most of those who have an opinion don’t have a pair of flip-flops in Mayport. They don’t own property out here. They just have an opinion,” said Pack.

“I am totally for business. How can you have 180,000 people drive by and not get some business? How can people want to leave it (Mayport) like it is? It will create jobs, temporary jobs they may be, but right now go out and try to find a job. It’s not that easy,” he said.

http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory.php?Story_id=530629

[Charles Hunter]

I like the Sand Mine Site (if Mayport becomes impossible) - just convince the current owner to sell.  The new road may have some permitting problems - cutting across the marsh, which, I think, is part of the Timuquan Preserve, but it would keep cruise traffic out of a neighborhood.

[CS Foltz]

Golly..............it's OK to inject 180 Thousand people and vehicles  into a small place like Mayport......sure the roads can handle it! I believe their roads just got upgraded, thanks to the tax dollars it cost, but I digress! I am offended by everyone who have the tack of "Its OK because it will bring jobs to Mayport" or "The tax base will increase because they can be charged for City services"............I think we are grasping at straws! Just wait till the first raw sewage incident and we, they taxpayers, get to pay for  the clean up! This is kind of like the BP situation when you look objectively at it! I would like to point out, the St Johns will be deepened and why not use the spoils to build a base for a Cruise Terminal in an area that is accessable and not intrusive? Doing this would allow it to be positioned where it would be best situated!

[thelakelander]

I'd like to see a strong argument made why it shouldn't be in Mayport.  We've seen the typical quick NIMBY reaction from a segment of the community but not anything based on statistical data and facts.  If that side were bought into the discussion, those against arguments would gain more traction.  With that said, I still believe these things can co-exist to the betterment of the community as long as dialogue and compromise takes place.

[reednavy]

Golly..............it's OK to inject 180 Thousand people and vehicles  into a small place like Mayport......sure the roads can handle it! I believe their roads just got upgraded, thanks to the tax dollars it cost, but I digress! I am offended by everyone who have the tack of "Its OK because it will bring jobs to Mayport" or "The tax base will increase because they can be charged for City services"............I think we are grasping at straws! Just wait till the first raw sewage incident and we, they taxpayers, get to pay for  the clean up! This is kind of like the BP situation when you look objectively at it! I would like to point out, the St Johns will be deepened and why not use the spoils to build a base for a Cruise Terminal in an area that is accessable and not intrusive? Doing this would allow it to be positioned where it would be best situated!

Blah, blah, blah.

What if we were able to dock huge ships at a cruise terminal downtown and had a sewage spill, how would that be any different? My guess it that it would affect a lot more people and miles of shoreline than if it were in Mayport.

[Mattius92]

What I do want to see, is what Jaxport has in mind for alternative sites. They just wont show them. Its making me have to guesss.

[billy]

Ford Assembly still in the running?

[Mattius92]

Ford Assembly still in the running?

The site of the old Ford Assembly plant looks nice, but its kinda in the slums of the port. The Shipyards seem like the best place to put a cruise terminal if they are going to build one west of the Dames.

[CS Foltz]

Actually reednavy.............Ship Yards does make a great idea! Put the Convention Center there and tie it into a Cruise Terminal! Great idea for revitalizing downtown, but the only issue I can see is ....what about parking? 180 Thousand people would have to park somewhere  right? Still think that the spoils from deepening the River would make better sense since it could be transported or piped to where ever it was needed! Besides, downtown could handle that many people right? Or how about they all park at Cecil Field and we could BRT them into downtown straight into a Cruise Ship right? By doing that, we could save all of that space required for parking and take great pride in our slums right?

[Captain Zissou]

Better yet, let's put an Aquarium and Movie Theater and Publix and Ikea and Office Depot and a Panera at the shipyards!  They'll all fit!! There's tons of room there! It's definitely wide enough!!

The shipyards site isn't suitable for a convention center or a port, definitely not both.  Even if it could be wedged in there, there would be no more space for complimenting development.  CS, where did you get the 180,000 person number you have quoted so often?  Is that assuming a 3,461 person cruise each week, 52 weeks a year??  Those are the numbers that would be required to reach 180,000.

[Mattius92]

180,000 poeple a year I guess, but that is still kinda crazy. Only like Port Everglades or Port of Miami gets that much a year. And they have massive ships.

And Captain massive cruise ships stop at islands in the Caribbean that are no larger then Downtown Jacksonville and they do fine. A cruise terminal dosent need to be that large or extravagant. I am sure the Shipyards could work. However I am not for a cruise terminal west of the Dames.

[Captain Zissou]

Mattius, massive cruise ships stop there, but do they actually service the ships?  There's a difference between a mooring station and an actual cruise terminal.  We had 3 ships docked downtown for the superbowl, with zero facilities.