What To Do With The Shipyards?

[spuwho]

My first thought was to turn it into a cruise terminal Yes, yes, I know, between the Dames Point (160ft), the Mathews (152ft) and the Hart (141ft), that makes it all but impossible.

A downtown 'magnet'. Connect it to the airport with an above ground transit recirculator (use the old ROW north of Kraft) which could also provide transit for the sports complex. Parking for the terminal could also be purposed for special events.

It's not possible but its nice to think about it.

Personally, I don't know of anyone who would want to live in a high rise with a 24x7x365 coffee grinder running next door. Coffee aroma is fine for a week or two, but if the wind blows from the north, you could forget about any relaxation on the balcony as you would be overcome by a breeze of bitterness.

[thelakelander]

I was just up in Kansas City a couple of weeks ago.  In the middle of their successful loft district, there's a huge Folgers Coffee plant.  Unfortunately, for them their coffee plant is closing.

KC Folgers plant to close
Folgers Coffee Co. will close its longtime downtown plant by 2012, eliminating about 180 jobs.

The company announced its plans to the workforce this morning, indicating that a layoff of about 50 employees will occur in the first half of next year. The plant will idle for good in the summer of 2012.

Folgers, owned by J.M. Smucker Co., is consolidating its coffee operations in Kansas City and Sherman, Texas, to its New Orleans plant, said Maribeth Badertscher, a Smucker spokeswoman.

"This was a difficult decision that had to be made to meet the long-term needs of our consumers and customers," she said. "It is no reflection on the dedication and commitment shown by the Kansas City workforce."

Folgers has about 150 hourly employees at the plant. A union official confirmed the company's announcement and said a meeting to provide more details to the workforce will be held Thursday evening.

The Folgers plant has been staple of downtown Kansas City since 1908. The city blocks near the plant often are filled with the aroma of coffee production.

The plant celebrated its 100th anniversary in June 2008. At the time, company and city officials were lauding the revival of the plant, whose employment had more than doubled from the early 2000s.

Folgers at that time also was in the process of being sold to Smucker from Procter & Gamble Co.

http://economy.kansascity.com/?q=node/6571


Folgers Coffee on right.  Industrial loft conversions on left.


The Coffee Lofts are directly across the street from the coffee roasting plant.

[brainstormer]

I am in agreement with all those in favor of making this a public park space until private investors come along one by one.  Extending the Riverwalk all the way to Metro Park and the Stadium would be a huge plus.  In my opinion, we should go back to the drawing board with Metro Park and come up with a combined vision for the Shipyards, Kids Kampus, Metro Park, Stadium, etc.  How can we best utilize all of this public riverfront property to not only create beautiful parks/open spaces but also provide a blueprint for private development. 

We have discussed in other threads knocking down the raised expressway as well.  How would development change if this occurred?  What about sodding the parking lots around the stadium?  What businesses could be integrated into this area to create a more vibrant district that would in turn support our top notch entertainment facilities?  Right now this whole area is dead space and the city is broke.  However with a smart plan for infrastructure improvements, the city could reinvigorate interest in the area.  What if E Adams Street was extended all the way to Everbank Field and the sides were opened up to private investors?  What if a new street was built that went from the south end of the stadium all the way to the river?  With better design, connectivity and the use of strategically placed public spaces/parks, this area would require a second look by investors and show that the city is serious about making our entertainment district a real thing!  Let's stop segmenting everything and start connecting our assets so that we can then stop feeling sorry for ourselves. 

[thelakelander]

Great points, Brainstormer.  The future of the entire area should be reevaluated as one instead of separate parts.

[north miami]

What would San Francisco do with a public ShipYards?? (Almost makes one wish for a formal review by the world's favorite city.....)

"The Presidio has immense history as a military installation.Since becoming a park in the 1990's,The Presidio is evolving into a natural,cultural and commercial hub."

  sanfrancisco.about.com/od/environmentnature/p/presidio.htm

  F  A   S    T   FWD:
  Hopefully current events will not prove to be the twilight zone of past events -

I vividly recall a promotional boat tour my company hosted for Tri-Legacy/ShipYards.We had multiple 'customers' and Tri Leg BigWigs aboard a 54 foot Hatteras motor Yacht.(The Tri Leg guy involved with Cecil Field/Brannon Chaffee gave me wide berth....)
We toured the ShipYards river site and made a stop at Epping.I noted the 'buyers'  were primarily from the Jax beaches,the deposit amounts minimal...............and no one intended to actually live at the ShipYards.At first it was assumed the 'buyers' were attracted to the ShipYards as a second home,it soon became apparent (this at an era before the term "Flip" ...and Flop! was assumed to be real estate oriented) that the intent was to resale.

[coredumped]

The last thing Jacksonville needs is ANOTHER park!

How about an amphitheater? It's cheap to do, can be used for concerts and the Jazz fest, and can be taken down when the economy improves. Our river would make a great backdrop!

[Noone]

 JCCI did a study called River Dance "Putting the River  in River City" At the same time there was another report that was done for Downtown Vision by Chan Krieger and Associates with the focus being on our Downtown and the River. Public Space was shown as a success in other communities.

Sept. 15 and 16 at the Prime Osborn Center will be the River Summit. There are speakers and topics. There will be discussion on a future river funding source for certain concerns. I think that we will see a  new tax and who will ultimately oversee its collection and implimentation. Will this be good or bad?

Ord.2010-604 is the legislation that paves the way for the city to regain control of the Shipyards/Landmar site. The OGC has said that the 680' Public Pier can be separate. For economic success I believe that the Pier should be separate and have its own zoning exceptions that will be outside of the JEDC oversite.

Remember that its just dumb luck that we are even getting this site back. Mayor Peyton is not interested in having the 680' Promised Pier separate. That is why the Pier should be an immediate focal point and a key city council and Mayoral campaign issue.

There does need to be more discussion on the 44 acres. But the Pier can happen now. If it doesn't then what a joke. 

[CS Foltz]

Noone..........with the current administration supposedly looking at this Forum, and a few others, the idea may take hold yet! What ever is done, should have the pier as something seperate, but the overall area should have an integrated plan or vision! That area should stretch from the Ship Yards to the Stadium and arc through the downtown core.....IMHO! I don't see why that could not be something for not only the public, but private enterprise also! I agree with your view .....this should be a major campaign issue as it well is!

[tufsu1]

The last thing Jacksonville needs is ANOTHER park!

How about an amphitheater? It's cheap to do, can be used for concerts and the Jazz fest, and can be taken down when the economy improves. Our river would make a great backdrop!

well, we already have one of those too...its called Metro. Park

[CS Foltz]

true tufsu................I need to point out that it needs work also.......don't it? All of our parks need sprucing up to say the least!

[stjr]

The last thing Jacksonville needs is ANOTHER park!

Disagree.  Having a major park/public space on the river is a decision for the ages.  Pushing high rise development on this land just to pull out of a recurring economic cycle is short sighted.  I have posted elsewhere on MJ the benefits of this land being a park.

[thelakelander]

They couldn't get high rise development on this site during the peak years of the boom.  That dream is DOA, imo.  I still believe Brainstormer has made one of the strongest points in this thread and in the Shipyards discussion.  We need to take a look at the entire district and how individual parts (like the Shipyards, stadium's surface lots and Metro Park) can play a coordinated role in the development of a vibrant district.

I am in agreement with all those in favor of making this a public park space until private investors come along one by one.  Extending the Riverwalk all the way to Metro Park and the Stadium would be a huge plus.  In my opinion, we should go back to the drawing board with Metro Park and come up with a combined vision for the Shipyards, Kids Kampus, Metro Park, Stadium, etc.  How can we best utilize all of this public riverfront property to not only create beautiful parks/open spaces but also provide a blueprint for private development.  

We have discussed in other threads knocking down the raised expressway as well.  How would development change if this occurred?  What about sodding the parking lots around the stadium?  What businesses could be integrated into this area to create a more vibrant district that would in turn support our top notch entertainment facilities?  Right now this whole area is dead space and the city is broke.  However with a smart plan for infrastructure improvements, the city could reinvigorate interest in the area.  What if E Adams Street was extended all the way to Everbank Field and the sides were opened up to private investors?  What if a new street was built that went from the south end of the stadium all the way to the river?  With better design, connectivity and the use of strategically placed public spaces/parks, this area would require a second look by investors and show that the city is serious about making our entertainment district a real thing!  Let's stop segmenting everything and start connecting our assets so that we can then stop feeling sorry for ourselves.  

[CS Foltz]

lake...........I have to agree! Connectivity is paramount......and I don't mean transportation only! The sum of all of the parts makes alot of sense and would probably produce the most bang for anyones bucks! But it would take some kind of vision and a plan and I am not sure just who could produce something that covers all of those aspects!

[Noone]

Anyone want to go kayaking Downtown?

[billy]

sign me up