Khan: Downtown's Laura Street Trio redevelopment deal 'alive but on life support

[Captain Zissou]

While that is lovely and impressive, that's like 35 foot ceiling heights for a walgreens. With a more urban format, you could still have a small market on the ground floor and a restaurant above. You could have cut outs in the second floor to let light from the sunlight reach down to the first floor grocer. There are a number of ways to tie the two floors together that would add to the experience of both. A small lobby of sorts with an open stair case heading to the second floor with a balcony looking down on the first would be very cool.

I may be trying to fit too much in that space, as I don't know the dimensions, but a single use for that building seems a little bland.

[fieldafm]

There techincally is two floors in the building now:

[Captain Zissou]

Boom shacka lacka!!!! I say build out the second floor to cover about 60% of the first and then have stair cases and a lift going to the second floor from the main entrance. It looks small for a full blown walgreens, but ive been in a number of Dwayne Reid type stores that were smaller than that. Grassroots in 5 points is (currently) much smaller.  I stand by my position of a single floor, single use of that building being too bland.

[tufsu1]

I'm partial to an upscale dining establishment in the marble bank building....the upstairs could be mroe refined seating with the downstairs being more casual (think of the different themed rooms at Blackfinn).

whatever the use, I think keeping the open plan with the balcony is the way to go

[duvaldude08]

I'm partial to an upscale dining establishment in the marble bank building....the upstairs could be mroe refined seating with the downstairs being more casual (think of the different themed rooms at Blackfinn).

whatever the use, I think keeping the open plan with the balcony is the way to go

Me too. The resturant concept would compliment the hotel aspect of the development. The marble bank set up would make an AWESOME resturant.

[simms3]

Still screams restaurant to me.  The urban markets in "starter" cities even the size of Atlanta are typically in much cheaper space.  If a hotel is to be done, especially a new or independent concept, F&B is a must and will be as much a draw as the hotel itself.  One won't happen without the other, and given the size of the Trio, a restaurant in Marble Bank could be close to half of the entire business, or more depending.  You can't really put a restaurant anywhere else...and you'll need the potential branding of the Marble Bank building for the restaurant...2nd floor dining with an open kitchen in the center of the ground floor is a very commonly done concept.  You'll need space for a large bar or lounge area as that is the bulk of F&B business for hotel restaurant concepts...you'll want a space that can be activated for the majority of the day.

Also, splitting into two floors ensures that the glass skylight ceiling goes to waste for someone.  Do you put restaurant on second floor?  Then that eliminates the "openness" that I feel would be part of the draw, you would have more ADA compliance issues, need to develop a restroom core for each floor that will position for a store and a restaurant...very hard to do when the chef will have lots of say in the creative design of the space and will want a fully customizable buildout.  Plus...why put the main business on the 2nd floor of a cramped building?  That eliminates a degree of visibility and access...you'd want a restaurant to be connected to a lobby of any hotel that you develop, not a market or retail store.

Also, restaurants are the bright spot in American retail right now.  Anybody doing retail anywhere is clamoring for restaurants.

[FSBA]

Adding a major grocery outlet downtown would be a solid use for the properies. The lack of any convient grocery options, aside from Winn-Dixie, is a major reason many people I know aren't looking for a place downtown.

[billy]

Maybe one thought would be to use the Marble Bank for the lobby and bar of the proposed hotel.

I'm just glad that these buildings will be stabilized/restored.

[duvaldude08]

Adding a major grocery outlet downtown would be a solid use for the properies. The lack of any convient grocery options, aside from Winn-Dixie, is a major reason many people I know aren't looking for a place downtown.

There are better options for these properties than a grocery store. Putting a grocery store in that location wont exactly have people relocating downtown in great numbers. However, the Riverside Park development in Brooklyn WILL have a grocery store in the retail development portion. So weve got that covered 

[thelakelander]

If a grocery goes into the Brooklyn project, with Winn-Dixie on Union and the proposed Publix in San Marco, you can forget about another grocery store coming in.  If we can figure out how to get a Skyway station at or near the operations center, then this retail complex will be accessible to the Northbank and Southbank via fixed transit.

[duvaldude08]

If a grocery goes into the Brooklyn project, with Winn-Dixie on Union and the proposed Publix in San Marco, you can forget about another grocery store coming in.  If we can figure out how to get a Skyway station at or near the operations center, then this retail complex will be accessible to the Northbank and Southbank via fixed transit.

Riverside BLVD is screaming skyway extension right now. BAD.

[downtownjag]

For the marble bank, my thoughts: relocate Visit Jacksonville - unless there's a term option in the lease may be tough. Along the same lines maybe Downtown Vision.

This is all assuming appropriate retail use is the first option

[duvaldude08]

For the marble bank, my thoughts: relocate Visit Jacksonville - unless there's a term option in the lease may be tough. Along the same lines maybe Downtown Vision.

This is all assuming appropriate retail use is the first option

[acme54321]

Yeah 

[FSBA]

The San Marco Publix is a dream that just won't die. Regardless, the site is within walking/biking distance for alot of people within the core and by addressing one of the chief concerns alot of people have about downtown would serve as a magnet to draw more people and shops.

Either way, it is nice that regardless of what happens it looks like the buildings will finally be put to use.