Port OKs land buy in Mayport

[thelakelander]

GOAL Build a new cruise ship terminal to attract more lines operating bigger vessels.

By TIMOTHY J. GIBBONS, The Times-Union

The Jacksonville Port Authority agreed Monday to purchase about 4 acres of land in Mayport that will allow it to move forward with building a cruise terminal in the village.
   
The port still needs to buy a 3.3-acre slice of waterfront land in order to put its plans into effect but said Monday it was negotiating with the owners.

The purchased property- 2.09 acres owned by the Roland family and 2.29 acres owned by Vestcor Cos. - sits along the river between the St. Johns River Ferry dock and the Coast Guard station. The Port Authority paid just over $9 million for the land.

The plot being negotiated for, owned by Safe Harbor Seafood, would actually house the terminal as well as a parking garage. Part of the Roland property would serve as a baggage-handling and entrance area.

The entire terminal would take up less than 8 acres, far smaller than the 40 acres the current terminal now occupies. Instead, the port would go vertical, building a two-story terminal and a five-story parking garage in the area near the curve of Ocean Street.

full article: http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/042908/met_273217766.shtml

[thelakelander]

This cruise port terminal will suck up most of the Mayport waterfront.  I hope it includes space for a few shops and restaurants at street level, along with space for shrimping boats.

[Jason]

You're right about the riverfront being swallowed up.  Although I'm sad to see the potential demise of the sleepy fishing village's heritage, it looks to be the dawn of a new age for Mayport.  Hopefully its charm can be saved and its history integrated into the terminal with a mix of old and new.

I'm sure the homeowners won't likely mind the added property value though.

[stephenc]

"When somebody says, 'Oh my God, we'll ruin the ambience of the village,' that person can't have driven out there in the past 15 years," said John Meserve, who helped found the Waterfront Partnership in 1997 before stepping down in 2006 to act as an unpaid "agent" for Vestcor and its land interests at Mayport village.

"There is no ambience of the village in the commercial sector. It's a bunch of torn-down buildings and junk. ... It [the commercial area] has an abandoned look of a dead village," Meserve said.

This hasnt been my impression of Mayport. Maybe I havent seen all of it. Where exactly are they putting the terminal, at the end of Ocean St?

[Steve]

The entire terminal would take up less than 8 acres, far smaller than the 40 acres the current terminal now occupies. Instead, the port would go vertical, building a two-story terminal and a five-story parking garage in the area near the curve of Ocean Street.

what a concept.

[thelakelander]

The entire terminal would take up less than 8 acres, far smaller than the 40 acres the current terminal now occupies. Instead, the port would go vertical, building a two-story terminal and a five-story parking garage in the area near the curve of Ocean Street.

what a concept.

I understand why the Mayport site was chosen, but too bad its not in or near downtown.

[reednavy]

Plenty of vacant buildings now along Ocean Street in Mayport. It looks like a disaster took out the river side of Ocean Street in some areas!

[BridgeTroll]

The people of Mayprt could be sitting on a gold mine if they play it right.  Turn that quaint villiage into a place for people to walk around and spend money in shops and boutiques.  A trolley to a "shrimp museum" and restaurants etc...

[wolfdawg54]

Vestcor did try to turn Mayport into a quaint village before the market tanked. I just hope that JPA does a good job in the layout and design of the cruise terminal. Although, I still think it is a poor place for the terminal because of a lack of infrastructure and proximity to downtown. Good to be back guys!

[thelakelander]

Welcome back wolfdawg54.  Its going to be interesting to see how the port authority attempts to fit in with historic Mayport.

[Captain Zissou]

LANCE! Where have you been???

PS-This is David

[BridgeTroll]

Vestcor did try to turn Mayport into a quaint village before the market tanked. I just hope that JPA does a good job in the layout and design of the cruise terminal. Although, I still think it is a poor place for the terminal because of a lack of infrastructure and proximity to downtown. Good to be back guys!

The problem with a terminal downtown is the same problem with the current terminal.  Bridges.  Modern cruise ships cannot get under our bridges.  In addition cruise ships like to be close to open waters.  A long slow cruise up the river to downtown costs money and time.

[thelakelander]

Modern cruise ships cannot get under our bridges.

Unless, they went for a smaller niche market.  Unfortunately, you can come to Jax to take a cruise and not even come within 10 miles of the core.  I'm on the fence with the decision to build in Mayport, but if designed right, its more appealing than the site they are currently located at.

[reednavy]

If only they could put it in enormous Mill Cove along Ft. Caroline Road. They laso could've made the Dames Point Bridge a lot higher, but they wanted to go cheap route, and it somewhat screwed us over, especially Tallyrand Terminal.

[Jason]

For what it cost to build that bridge, a short tunnel under the chanel with concrete trestle leading up to the tunel on each side could have probably been built.

I love that bridge but it is a serious hinderance for our port.