DDRB to Evaluate Revisions to Brooklyn Retail Project

[fieldafm]

Just looking at this site, there's clearly a better way to incorporate chain requirements while also shielding surface parking.  However, we'll probably never get to that stage because we historically have a pattern of caving in.

100 percent agree. 

[Charles Hunter]

Vacant field overgrown with weeds is better.  Maybe in a few years, developers and policy makers will have gained a clue from the folks here at MetroJacksonville ... even better, the folks here at MetroJacksonville will BE the developers and policy makers.

[simms3]

I hate to say I told you guys.  This same developer was already denied basically the ability to develop a huge bit of land in Atlanta (similar deal - crappy site plan and neighbors were riotously anti-Walmart).  He has tried 3 or 4 times unsuccessfully to ram another suburban layout on a site right next to the Beltline, within the Beltline overlay (of course requiring a bible of variances).  He was run out of Denver in a contested battle with residents in one of its neighborhoods (I think he may have scored a minor victory there, but lost in other ways).

Be careful...it's all I'm saying.  If the city gives him the seal of approval without any pushback whatsoever, he will proceed to mow over the town every which way he can similar in scope to Sleiman, but with potentially more capital at his disposal (I very much doubt Jax has as many zealously anti-Fuqua/anti-chain residents as Atlanta or Denver to sway council and DDRB).

[Tacachale]

Wow, that's awful. What can be done at this point?

[thelakelander]

Unfortunately, I'm not sure.  I really doubt we do something that's rarely been done in the past. We're like a battered housewife. We're going to eat the cake to keep Fuqua from choking, throwing us over the couch and locking us in the bedroom. I fully expect it to get approved in its highly suburban state.

[JaxJag]

Rediculous... they seem to be testing the water like simms mentioned. Show some back bone . Please turn this down!

[thelakelander]

Taking bets. Introducing a plate of hot grits or spreading eagle?

[thelakelander]

Looking at the site plan, it appears the CVS (my guess based on the building footprint) parcel is an outparcel that may be flipped.  It includes a May Street easement that forces the building to be setback from the street.  My question would be, what's in that easement that can't be replaced to allow the need for it to disappear?



With that in mind, I mentioned earlier, as suburban as this plan is, you can accommodate national chain requirements and still make a more pedestrian friendly site plan.  A quick example is shown below. 



I copied and pasted the real plan's buildings in photoshop, so the boxes are still the same, only rearranged. This plan relocates all the specialty retail to line Riverside Avenue, without penetrating the JTA easement.  In turn, you get a decent sized interior area for parking.  Also, what's the point of treating Magnolia like a separate street?  Why not incorporate it into your parking area, while leaving it open for public access.  At least this way, the apartment units facing Magnolia will have a better view than the back walls of retail stores. Btw, the store footprint is pretty similar to the Fresh Market stores on Atlantic and San Jose.  Given the similarities (entry design, box square footage, etc.), Fresh Market is probably the grocery anchor.  Also, assuming it is possible to vacate the easement, you could also shift the location of the CVS, as shown below:



So what does this look like?  There's a similar strip center anchored by a Home Depot in Atlanta, near Marta's Lindbergh Station.  Strip retail lines the street. Surface parking happens to be in the middle of the site, with a regular Home Depot box in the rear.  Where strip retail breaks to provide visibility to the big box anchor, it features outdoor courtyard space for the strip retail.  Here are some images below:


Home Depot and interior site surface parking.


Interior surface parking behind strip retail.


Courtyards between strip retail buildings allows for outdoor seating along the street and site visibility to big box anchor in rear of property.


Strip retail adjacent to main street, provides center pedestrian friendly street edge, despite center being fairly suburban.

This stuff isn't rocket science.  You can make a center like this more pedestrian friendly.  We have a great example on this same street in Five Points. The only difference between that Sembler project (Fuqua was with Sembler then) and this Fuqua one is RAP and the DDRB.  Say what you want to say about RAP, but one thing they don't do is cave in to whatever proposal comes across their desk.

[fieldafm]

Also, assuming it is possible to vacate the easement, you could also shift the location of the CVS, as shown below

The question becomes, how would that effect traffic circulation for the roudabout?  Seems as though under that plan traffic flow is compromised uneccessarily (from a layman's view).

I like your first option.  The grocery store could then incorporate outdoor seating along Magnolia similar to this:





or (an option which would be more expensive and they probably dont want a seperate entrance, which I can definately understand) this:

[Tacachale]

This project will be on the Downtown Development Review Board's (DDRB) April 4, 2013 meeting agenda.  The meeting will be held at:

City Hall at St. James, 117 West Duval Street
Lynwood Roberts Room
Thursday, April 4, 2013 - 2:00 p.m.

Ennis, this date is for last month. Do you mean today's meeting?

[JeffreyS]

I do not see where there would be any downside to the developer for doing this. Would it cost more or accomodate less parking?

[thelakelander]

This project will be on the Downtown Development Review Board's (DDRB) April 4, 2013 meeting agenda.  The meeting will be held at:

City Hall at St. James, 117 West Duval Street
Lynwood Roberts Room
Thursday, April 4, 2013 - 2:00 p.m.

Ennis, this date is for last month. Do you mean today's meeting?

^Yes, sorry about that. It's corrected:

The Downtown Development Review Board (DDRB) meeting will be held Thursday, May 3, 2013 - 2:00pm at City Hall (117 West Duval Street).

[Tacachale]

Thanks. Is there contact info for the current board? Maybe they'll listen one day.

[PeeJayEss]

^^ Fix it one more time.

[thelakelander]

I do not see where there would be any downside to the developer for doing this. Would it cost more or accomodate less parking?

I don't see how it would cost more.  The buildings didn't change shape or sizes. They are just rearranged so walkability isn't an afterthought in the conceptual planning process.  By squaring off the parking lot, you'd get a more efficient parking layout, which would most likely result in an increased amount of parking spaces.  The easements shown in previous plans are still preserved as well.  I used to do this all the time for Publix.  After a while, you figure out how to maximize parking efficiency/truck movement, etc. early in the conceptual land planning stage.

The one catch in this plan is you'd have to go back to last month's grocery footprint to accommodate the grocery's loading dock.  It seems like over the last 30 days, the loading area was modified to specifically tailor to the site plan they are seeking approval for.