Jax Kennel Club to open poker room near Regency Square Mall

[thelakelander]

Efforts are under way to bring a large poker room across from Regency Square mall in Arlington. The Garden Ridge store at 201 Monument Road is closing because Jacksonville Kennel Club has a contract to purchase the property.

The kennel club has applied with the state to open a poker room on the site, which a spokesman said would create 200 new jobs .

Last year, the Legislature changed the law to allow pari-mutuel businesses to operate a separate cardroom and betting facility if the license holder closed an existing facility and opened the poker room in the same county and within 30 miles of the old one.

Jacksonville Kennel Club on McDuff Avenue closed in 2009 after operating for 74 years. Its owner, Jacksonville Greyhound Racing, donated the entire facility to the Knowledge is Power Program, which targets underprivileged children.

He said that designs for the building are still being drawn and reviewed. It's not certain if the existing 109,000-square-foot building would be converted or a new one built. But even if it's a new building, it would be almost as large as the current one, he said.

The only thing definite about it is that it will include a poker room, he said, adding it would be similar in size to the Orange Park facility, which has 40 tables. Other possibilities include simulcast betting and a restaurant, Munz said, but that has not been decided.

It could open as early as next spring, he said. The facility plans to hire about 200 people, with an average salary of about $50,000 a year. Job fairs will be held this fall or early next year.

Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2011-06-28/story/jacksonville-kennel-club-open-poker-room-near-regency-square-mall#ixzz1Qe3sKEAT

[copperfiend]

200 jobs is the big news here. How long until a poker room is built downtown? Maybe at the Landing?

[Bativac]

200 jobs is the big news here. How long until a poker room is built downtown? Maybe at the Landing?

I read that and wondered, how many jobs are being lost by the Garden Ridge closing? The poker room may have a higher average salary but how is that salary figured - are there a couple people making $75k+ and everyone else in the $20k range? Has a poker room ever improved a neighborhood?

[duvaldude08]

Evidentally Garden Ridge was planning to close anyways. It doesnt seem that if the store was doing good they would close for a poker room. That doesnt sound right. And to be honest, the garden ridge at Regency never really did all that well. Everytime I have went in that store over the past ten years, it is always half empty. They only get alot of business during the holiday season. (November and December)

[duvaldude08]

200 jobs is the big news here. How long until a poker room is built downtown? Maybe at the Landing?

I read that and wondered, how many jobs are being lost by the Garden Ridge closing? The poker room may have a higher average salary but how is that salary figured - are there a couple people making $75k+ and everyone else in the $20k range? Has a poker room ever improved a neighborhood?

Anything for Regency at this point is a plus. The existence of the poker room could bring additional restaurants (as disclosed in the article) or other entertainment venues (IMO). Arlington is one of our oldest neighborhoods and I dont like the condition its in. Anything to bring some life to the area is fine with me.

[fsujax]

does anything do good in or around Regency anymore??? I try to frequent there as much as possible, but it seems to get worse and worse. Well, maybe besides Bealls! haha

[duvaldude08]

does anything do good in or around Regency anymore??? I try to frequent there as much as possible, but it seems to get worse and worse. Well, maybe besides Bealls! haha

And Ross!! lol

[Dapperdan]

Poker Room employees make alot. Most get tons of tips. You have waitresses that get tips, dealrers that get tips, sushi bar employee gets tips. The only person that doesn't is the money counters and the hostesses and hosts.
A downtown one would be nice.

[copperfiend]

200 jobs is the big news here. How long until a poker room is built downtown? Maybe at the Landing?

I read that and wondered, how many jobs are being lost by the Garden Ridge closing? The poker room may have a higher average salary but how is that salary figured - are there a couple people making $75k+ and everyone else in the $20k range? Has a poker room ever improved a neighborhood?

That Garden Ridge was disgusting and it was a ghost town every time I went in there the last few years.

[copperfiend]

does anything do good in or around Regency anymore??? I try to frequent there as much as possible, but it seems to get worse and worse. Well, maybe besides Bealls! haha

I think the big boxes north of the mall are doing ok. It seems like THD, Lowe's and Target do well. I go to the Ruby Tuesday,  Zaxby's and Cracker Barrel over there , and they all seem to do well.

[thelakelander]

Regency is still a viable commercial district.  The mall sucks because it's time has passed.  They don't last forever and must be periodically updated to keep up with retail trends.  Until a massive revamp happens don't expect things to improve.

[Tacachale]

They did revamp the mall some years back. It just hasn't had the effect they were looking for. I doubt another one would do much better, and it seems unlikely any mall would be able to do a major overhaul every ten years or so anyway.

[thelakelander]

The revamp these days isn't changing up tile and paint colors, when you've been around since the 1960s (super long for a center like Regency).  Judging from what's been going on in the country, they should have been considering the lifestyle concept roughly about a decade ago.

[duvaldude08]

The revamp these days isn't changing up tile and paint colors, when you've been around since the 1960s (super long for a center like Regency).  Judging from what's been going on in the country, they should have been considering the lifestyle concept roughly about a decade ago.

Agreed. Im actually impressed that they have held on for 51 years. There has been downturn in the area over the pass 20 years, but they still manage to get through. I only want to see good things happen for them. And If im not mistaken, arent there some renovation plans in place to make it somewhat of a lifestyle center? I remember us dicussing it on here about two years ago.

[thelakelander]

I'm not aware of any plans to renovate Regency into a lifestyle center.  The stuff discussed here was vision plan oriented on a public level.  More or less, dreams from local residents who want to see the place improved.