Understanding the St. Johns Town Center

[thelakelander]

It's walkable and urban (multiple stories and built around a parking garage).  There just happens to be a small surface parking lot between it and Maggiano's (two driveways and five stalls in width).

[finehoe]

^The free market has nothing to do with either center's layout. 

Exactly. Just as there is no such thing as a free lunch, there is not such thing as "free markets".  Any development is subject to imperfection and abuse, and requires diligent effort, frank discussion, transparency, and conscious intentions to create something that works to everybody's best interst.

[Doctor_K]

SJTC does have residential. It's near the hotel behind Dick's.

I didn't really count that...I guess it is kind of walkable, but not integrated

Absolutely it's not 'integrated.'  However, it *is* walkable. 

If 'walkable' in a more urban setting is two or three blocks, or 1/4, 1/3, or 1/2 mile, then the condos/apartments behind Dick's and the townhouses behind the Publix are definitely 'walkable.'  IMO, the distance is roughly equivalent of a couple-three blocks to almost anywhere in the complex from either of those residential sections.

...except for the Plaza section.  That's just sprawl.  The only thing down there worth going to is Libretto's Pizza anyway.

[fieldafm]

I quite like Tapestry Park.  In fact, that is the kind of infill that should be encouraged on the Southside.

JTA is considering lunchtime PCT trolley service along Gate Parkway to the Town Center.  I hope they do it(selfishly and altrustically).

Agreed on whoever said Librettos is the only thing worth visiting at Markets

[copperfiend]

SJTC has been a huge success and Tapestry Park is a disaster. I am sure it was because of subsidies/evil developers etc. The free market is very smart and like it or not this is what the people want

Disaster based on what?

[Doctor_K]

I quite like Tapestry Park.  In fact, that is the kind of infill that should be encouraged on the Southside.

JTA is considering lunchtime PCT trolley service along Gate Parkway to the Town Center.  I hope they do it(selfishly and altrustically).

Agreed on whoever said Librettos is the only thing worth visiting at Markets

That would be me!  We should totally do lunch there one day.

And how far along Gate Parkway are they considering?  Do you have any inside info?

[Tacachale]

Neither Tapestry Park nor the St John's Town Center are my cup of tea. However I realize it's mostly a matter of taste and it takes all kinds. That considered I have to say that Tapestry Park seems to be a much better use of space, whether or not it's "successful" on the scale of the city's newest and largest shopping mall.

Tapestry Park is the kind of thing I'd like to see develop around, and be integrated with, UNF, when that inevitably happens. Much better than disparate strip malls and unconnected apartment buildings.