North Point Town Center built to bring Northside Jacksonville 'back to life'

[iMarvin]

Developers are confident in gaining tenants to fill space, which is at center of more projects

Some wonder whether the two-story, split-level building with the cascading roofline is a new library.

No, it's not a library, reply officials with the Northwest Jacksonville Community Development Corp., which is constructing the building.

The 10,600 square feet of space at Moncrief Road and Myrtle Avenue will be for offices and stores.

Who will the tenants be? Will there be a barber shop or beauty salon?

It's possible. Construction is slated to finish by the end of the year. By then, the nonprofit community development corporation expects to have tenants signed to leases.

"I'm just telling them watch and see," said Patricia Henry, community organizer for the Northwest Jacksonville CDC.

The building, called the North Point Town Center, is the centerpiece for an ambitious array of construction planned by the CDC, which is marking its 10th anniversary this year. Other plans are:

- The $6 million Mary Eaves Senior Living Center at Myrtle Avenue and 16th Street. The CDC is seeking to round up the final half million dollars in financing needed to start construction of the 50-unit center in early 2012.

- A $1.6 million renovation of apartment buildings over the coming year. The work will add central air conditioning and other amenities to 50 rental units, which will be renamed the Villages of North Point.

- More home construction. The CDC has built and sold 69 houses to first-time home buyers, and six more are under construction.

- A grocery store that would be built on Moncrief Road, across the street from the North Point Town Center building. The CDC has bought most of the land needed for a store site.

All the construction is concentrated in an area that falls that falls within a half-mile radius of the town center, said Paul Tutwiler, executive director of the CDC.

"We're about bringing our community back to life," he said.

The development has been fueled by a mix of public and private financing. The $3.5 million North Point Town Center was able to start construction by winning federal, state and city government grants and loans in addition to bank loans. Jacksonville's share is a $527,579 loan and a $351,719 grant, plus donation of the land. The city participated because the neighborhood has struggled for years with high rates of unemployment and crime.

The government support has put the neighborhood in an unusual position - the recession's aftershocks have halted office construction throughout the region, but crews are working in a part of town that previously lacked commercial construction even in the best of times.

The North Point Town Center still must prove itself by attracting tenants. The CDC, a five-employee operation, will take 3,000 square feet, but the rest of the building is still up for grabs. Tutwiler said he expects most of the building will be under lease by the time it's ready for occupancy.

"We feel very confident," he said. "We have several different prospects looking at it."

Those businesses are a pharmacy, a coffee and sandwich shop, an independent insurance agency, a "health care provider," a barber shop and a beauty salon, said Catherine Childers, owner of Childers Commercial Properties, the leasing agent. She and Tutwiler declined to identify the names of the business. Childers said small businesses don't want to make leasing decisions too far in advance, but with the building set to open in early 2012, the talks have become more serious.

Childers also helped arrange discussions between the CDC and the Save A Lot supermarket chain about building a store on land across the street from the town center. The CDC owns most of the necessary property but still needs to purchase an existing home. Tutwiler said it would be an urban-style, 16,000- square-foot store.

"The community truly could use one," he said. "We know that a lot of the stores in this area only have cigarettes and beer. We need fresh fruits and vegetables for our growing babies."

The construction of the two-story building has generated buzz from other businesses along Myrtle Avenue and Moncrief Road. Tutwiler said a merchants association has dubbed the commercial corridor the District of Soul, promoting the "flavor of restaurants and entertainment" from the neighborhood's African-American heritage.

The measure of whether the North Point Town Center succeeds depends on whether it attracts more businesses and shoppers to the neighborhood, he said.

As for the building itself, Tutwiler says the modern design is just what the neighborhood needs to show change is coming. Even though it's summer and the heat is sweat-inducing, Tutwiler said when he looks at the building, "I get goose bumps."

Read more at: http://jacksonville.com/business/2011-08-13/story/north-point-town-center-built-bring-northside-jacksonville-back-life

[thelakelander]

The building, called the North Point Town Center, is the centerpiece for an ambitious array of construction planned by the CDC, which is marking its 10th anniversary this year. Other plans are:

- The $6 million Mary Eaves Senior Living Center at Myrtle Avenue and 16th Street. The CDC is seeking to round up the final half million dollars in financing needed to start construction of the 50-unit center in early 2012.

- A $1.6 million renovation of apartment buildings over the coming year. The work will add central air conditioning and other amenities to 50 rental units, which will be renamed the Villages of North Point.

- More home construction. The CDC has built and sold 69 houses to first-time home buyers, and six more are under construction.

- A grocery store that would be built on Moncrief Road, across the street from the North Point Town Center building. The CDC has bought most of the land needed for a store site.

All the construction is concentrated in an area that falls that falls within a half-mile radius of the town center, said Paul Tutwiler, executive director of the CDC.

Although it would have been great to see all this development piled on a few blocks immediately adjacent to each other, it appears that they are on the right track by finally clustering a mix of complementing uses within close proximity.  I wish them well and hope that what they are doing can be a great example for other neighborhoods in the inner city.

[malseedj]

CDC will take 3000 Square Feet!

Military Space allocation for General Officer--400 Square Feet
Military Space Allocation for Colonel---250 Square Feet
Military Space Allocation for  Lt. Col---200 Square feet

I was a non supervisory GS-15 and my space allocation was 150 Square Feet.

Why are we paying for 3000 square feet for a Group of Five!

That's 600 square feet per person!

I would like to see the proposed layout of the offices.

Who is paying for this?  Who approved it?

John Malseed
771-6343

[thelakelander]

Malseed, can you edit your post to remove your last sentence?  It really has no place in the discussion and is against forum rules.  Thanks in advance.

[malseedj]

I am just pointing out what is in charge.

[thelakelander]

That's fine, just remove the personal stuff (the last sentence) or I can.......Nevermind, I removed it.