Town Center Construction

[Jagsdrew]

I saw that they are currently building "5000 Town Center" a luxury apartment complex right near Seasons 52.  I noticed they are building something further down away from the restaurants like Capital Grille, Mitchell's Fish Market and  Dick's Sporting Goods what appears to be a parking garage or something? Can anyone confirm what there are building out there? Thanks everyone!

[ben says]

I saw that they are currently building "5000 Town Center" a luxury apartment complex right near Seasons 52.  I noticed they are building something further down away from the restaurants like Capital Grille, Mitchell's Fish Market and  Dick's Sporting Goods what appears to be a parking garage or something? Can anyone confirm what there are building out there? Thanks everyone!

Saw the same stuff yesterday when driving around...no idea what it is. Wish they'd attempt that kind of growth downtown...

[copperfiend]

I think it is more housing. Looking at the original master plan, it was slated to be residential.

[cline]

They are apartments.  I believe they are the ones this JBJ article is referring to.

http://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/print-edition/2012/02/24/apartments-break-ground-at-st-johns.html?page=all

[Dapperdan]

I love this quote in that article:

“In our view, it’s become more urban â€" if you look at the town center compared to Downtown, there’s as many jobs [in the area]and retail as Downtown,” Bove LLC President Gabe Bove said. “It’s become the new Jacksonville. It’s the fact that you can walk to retail and nightlife.”

Besides the main little strip, where else can you walk to and not have to traverse miles of parking lots and cars wizzing by on little roads?

[Doctor_K]

Cline beat me to it.

5000 Town, supposed to be completed in April 2013.

Also per that article, it looks like another multi-family project is going up on the other side of Seasons 52 as well.

Dapperdan - both projects are across Big Island Drive from 'the main strip' and there are sidewalks down to the Whiskey River/Suite/Blackfinn cluster.

In fact, even with the parking lots, you can walk from the Georgetown townhouses on one side of the complex all the way to Mitchell's and Seasons 52 and the only 'real' road you cross is Big Island drive down at the south end.

Suburban?  Of course.  Connected and walkable?  In this case, yes.

[Jagsdrew]

Obviously Town Center Parkway is the Blanding Blvd of Jacksonville. In ten years or so when all that land across/around the town center is developed into residential, it will be a traffic nightmare.  The problem I find with the Town Center is there is only two points of access. One entrance from Gate Parkway is at its tipping point with so much volume of cars and the access from 9A/St Johns/UNF which is relatively an easier way of getting in and out but still sees its fair share of volume. I don't know what the Master Plan of the Town Center consists of but it better transportation motives to get in and out of this area. 

[Abhishek]

There should have been residential on top of the retail stores.

[fsujax]

it already is worse than Blanding to me! and will get worse, until it starts to decline and ends up like Regency.

[fieldafm]

There are two seperate complexes being built at the Town Center.  In fact five are being built in and around that area all within a few miles of each other (all but one planned before the Mobility Fee moratorium-and that one was already zoned for apartments, the lot just changed ownership... another one of those five was already covered in an existing concurrency agreement).  A sixth planned housing development is being proposed near Tapestry Park/Blue Cross.

Whoever said it's walkable/connected is wrong.  You can't even walk across the street to get from Blackfinn to Wendys... there is no sidewalk. 

[copperfiend]

it already is worse than Blanding to me! and will get worse, until it starts to decline and ends up like Regency.

Having lived in both areas, I strongly disagree. Blanding was a nightmare in the four years I lived in OP and Argyle. For the Town Center, the only traffic nightmare to me if getting off on Gate Parkway from JTB. I just don't go that way. I will take 9A to TCP or St Johns Bluff to TCP. You can get in and out of the Town Center with ease using those two roads.

[copperfiend]

it already is worse than Blanding to me! and will get worse, until it starts to decline and ends up like Regency.

In what...30-40 years?

[Jagsdrew]

it already is worse than Blanding to me! and will get worse, until it starts to decline and ends up like Regency.

Having lived in both areas, I strongly disagree. Blanding was a nightmare in the four years I lived in OP and Argyle. For the Town Center, the only traffic nightmare to me if getting off on Gate Parkway from JTB. I just don't go that way. I will take 9A to TCP or St Johns Bluff to TCP. You can get in and out of the Town Center with ease using those two roads.

Yeah its alot easier to access that way, still a little congested at times, but easier.  I don't know how these roads will handle the volume in the coming years once all the available land is developed. 

[Jagsdrew]

Appreciate everyone's input though. Sometimes I need someone else's perspective on things.

[duvaldude08]

it already is worse than Blanding to me! and will get worse, until it starts to decline and ends up like Regency.

Having lived in both areas, I strongly disagree. Blanding was a nightmare in the four years I lived in OP and Argyle. For the Town Center, the only traffic nightmare to me if getting off on Gate Parkway from JTB. I just don't go that way. I will take 9A to TCP or St Johns Bluff to TCP. You can get in and out of the Town Center with ease using those two roads.

I agree cooperfield. Thats the easier way. Thats usually the way I take. But how long will it last? The way that area is growing it is going to be a nightmare in a few more years.