Quiznos and Adams Street Deli Want Food Trucks Out of Downtown

[urbaknight]

if we can just focus on the real problem, there just aren't enough people DT on a regular basis. Create more apartments, fill our office spaces, bring in more retail, (such as stores that you'd finde in any mall) improve mass transit, bring in the government run social services. (such as the Divison of Blind Services, as just one example) With enough people DT, there will be more than enough busniess to go around for all resturants, Brick & mortor and food trucks.

[thelakelander]

Create more apartments, fill our office spaces, bring in more retail (such as stores that you'd find in any mall), improve mass transit......

Without giving away house (which would include paying people/companies to move downtown, developers to build, etc.), to realistically accomplish this, you do recognize that it could take 20-30 years of continuous revitalization efforts......right?

[feedback]

While more people living downtown would obviously help and obviously take a while, all that means is that there would be so many people downtown that even an unpopular place like Quiznos would have a fighting chance. Though that would be due to the volume of people and not their quality/position in the market.

Right now though it's still lame to try and snub a successful business to protect a failing one... no matter how many people are hanging around. I lived downtown for 2 years and didn't have the 20-30 years to wait around for that revitalization to happen so I moved to LA. According to this smartphone app I am currently within walking distance of about 6 food trucks. 

[urbaknight]

Create more apartments, fill our office spaces, bring in more retail (such as stores that you'd find in any mall), improve mass transit......

Without giving away house (which would include paying people/companies to move downtown, developers to build, etc.), to realistically accomplish this, you do recognize that it could take 20-30 years of continuous revitalization efforts......right?

I'm sure it would take a while, that's why we have to start now. I remember an article about Detroit a few weeks ago. They're aggressively trying to bring back their DT, and other cities were successful bringing back their DT's as well. I think we can do it too if we tried hard enough.

[thelakelander]

I actually agree.  I just don't think Jacksonville has reached the point to where it is willing to accept the types of strategies needed to give the redevelopment process a swift kick in the pants.  I mean, just look at this mobility fee issue.  Our council is split on it, despite a moratorium having no evidence available that it worked last year or would magically work if given three years.  Now imagine the fallout if someone proposed a Detroit or Philly style revitalization scheme, such as paying people to move downtown or implementing a 10-year tax abatement program for much of the urban core.  Unfortunately, for us, those are the types of things that can dramatically speed the process up, which is the implementation pace that most dream of when the term "downtown vibrancy" is mentioned.

[urbaknight]

The council is split on the issue?! I thought it was just a few that were pushing for the moratorium. Well that really sucks. It's not like we can just vote them out for supporting it either, most people in JAX have no idea about the Mobility Plan or fee. They just go along with what the council does no questions asked.

Someone should tell council, that if they pass the moratorium, they might as well just cancel the entire Mobility Plan and shelf it along with the rest of the urban projects. Hell while they're at it, they can disband mass transit, stop building sidewalks and make it a crime to not have your own car.

[CG7]

The council is split, because half of the council used money from developers to get elected.

[tufsu1]

The council is split, because half of the council used money from developers to get elected.

likely more than half

[dougskiles]

The council is split, because half of the council used money from developers to get elected.

likely more than half

Way more than half.  Probably all.

[Bativac]

While more people living downtown would obviously help and obviously take a while, all that means is that there would be so many people downtown that even an unpopular place like Quiznos would have a fighting chance. Though that would be due to the volume of people and not their quality/position in the market.

Right now though it's still lame to try and snub a successful business to protect a failing one... no matter how many people are hanging around. I lived downtown for 2 years and didn't have the 20-30 years to wait around for that revitalization to happen so I moved to LA. According to this smartphone app I am currently within walking distance of about 6 food trucks. 

The real problem with Jax. People who really want to see things improved get tired of not only the glacial pace but the "one step forward, two steps back" method of revitalization. So they give it a couple years, then go someplace that already has what they're looking for, leaving Jacksonville in the dust.

[PeeJayEss]

Well, never going to Adams Street Deli again. And Quiznos...well, I wasn't going there anyway.

I sympathise with the quizno's franchisee.  She has no parking on her corner during the day.  Even though Monroe Street is now blocked by the Courthouse, and there is no real traffic on it, the city is still dragging their feet on making parking along Monroe during daylight hours a reality.  So she is limited by downtown's parking policies.

But its just evidence of the shocking population loss in downtown.  You cannot make enough money as a restaurant during the day unless you have extremely low rent.  The lunch hour is really only about 1.5 hours long and there are no outlanders that come to downtown as a result of the parking enforcement terrorism of the past 20 years.  So you can only rely on downtown stationed customers.

That said, the answer isnt to set a precedent where we are regulating competition for god's sake.

The owner would be better served demanding transit connections to riverside and springfield, which would at least give them access to outland customers.

I sympathize with her for having a struggling business. She loses that sympathy pulling this anti-competitive bs. I hope she doesn't need parking within 15 feet of her establishment to stay in business. In that case, any downtown is a bad location. The issue for this business is inferior product and service, not parking. I work in Riverside and eat downtown at least once a week. Parking is never an issue. In fact, the corner where Quiznos is located is surrounded by parking. You can't park in front of Subway down the street, but you can park on both sides of Quiznos and across the street. Probably one of the easier places to park near for lunch downtown. And no food truck nearby except during Art Walk.

Quiznos are closing all over the country. This place wouldn't stay in business even if there were 60,000 people living downtown. It would still be making the least money and rents would be higher.

[Debbie Thompson]

It isn't that I don't sympathize.  And this Quizno's has been open for awhile.  It's just that other restaurants within a block or two of this one have lines at lunch, and pretty much the same situation with parking.  Quite a few people work downtown.   So if other close-by restaurants have lines at lunch, with the current parking and census, and this one does not, why would you look at parking or the current downtown census as the problem?

[thelakelander]

A Jax Daily Record article on this issue:

Groups are lining up in support of and opposition to food trucks, the trend that's become a part of Downtown dining.
The mobile cuisine vendors offer additional menu options and convenience for urban workers and residents and have been a rapidly growing trend in Jacksonville and across the country.

Yet, for some people, the vendors pose a threat to established businesses in the competition for market share.

Without highlighting specific arguments for or against the concept and being cognizant that there eventually might be legislation introduced concerning the matter, here's a look at where the City, Downtown Vision Inc. and JAX Chamber stand on the issue.

full article: http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/downtowntoday.php?dt_date=2013-02-21

[Ralph W]

Tuesday, the Bailiff stood before at least 300 potential jurors and announced that there were very limited venues to serve lunch, mentioning the snack bar/restaurant in the courthouse as not up to speed and then the food truck a block away at Jefferson.

If the jurors wanted to take the shuttle back to their cars and then go somewhere for lunch they should be prepared to spend 20 minutes going and 20 minutes returning, leaving very little time for lunch.

Final option was to trek over by Hemming Plaza for fast food. No mention of Adams Street Deli, 4 blocks away from the courthouse or Quizno's. He did call out Subway, however.

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

SD & PJE, why are you two even arguing about parking?

I happen to be someone who has to drive into downtown to eat at lunch as well, and the only place that I can be sure of finding a parking spot is Chomp Chomp.   There's rarely any available parking at OTF.  Chamblin's.... fuh-get-a-about it.  Most of the time I just plan on parking on either Duval or Church and making the whole 2 block walk.