Convention center, Downtown on draft list for Curry

[CCMjax]

I will add that Riverside 220 and Brooklyn Station are the biggest and best revitalization efforts going on in the core and I am sure they will fulfill their intended purpose of populating Brooklyn and making that a vibrant area, and they are private investments.  They are also mixed use, which is why it will be more successful than other recent condo projects downtown.  Jacksonville may have finally realized that mixed use is the way to attract people and create the most vibrant communities.  COJ needs to incentivize further development there and in south La Villa to get people even closer to downtown.  Private investment = more tax revenue for the city.

[Captain Zissou]

Jason made a great rendering of a convention center on the courthouse site a few years ago.  I'm all for a basic exhibition box with a glass curtain wall facing the river, but I say leave a little room on the site and add the structural capacity to support a hotel or office space on the Bay Street side if the demand for such space should ever arise.  The parador parking garage is the biggest boondoggle since the courthouse and has effectively killed one of the most important blocks of downtown for the next decade or two.  We can't ever let that happen again.

[The_Choose_1]

The mistake I see in alot of these posts is that they assume everyone approaches travel like they do.

Its true some people want an "experience" but some people have work to get done. Especially after sitting in a convention hall all day.

I think you're right. There's not one "correct" answer - but I suppose we have to ensure that whatever approach we take, we do it right.

When has anything been done right and even under budget in Jacksonville Florida? The Main Library wasn't done right, the city Garage next to the Library on E Duval St was to have a bridge between both buildings but that was canceled. Because the city felt the shoppes on the first floor of the parking Garage wouldn't be used? I see Enterprise is using one of the shoppes but when this garage was first built the stores Never came to pass. And the new Court House was this done right & the state attorneys building how many problems does this old building still have after being redone. The list of doing things right is very short in Jacksonville. Please lets all think good thoughts and click those heels together once more like I asked stephandare to do "There's No Place Like Downtown Jacksonville Florida"

Government funded and lead projects rarely go well and under budget, even in more prosperous cities, but things like libraries and courthouses are a necessity obviously and are reasons why we pay taxes.  It is also hard to get those projects to run smoothly with all the talking heads involved.  That is why it is sooooo important to have private investors and private projects.  Like I mentioned in a previous post, Quicken Loans investing in downtown Detroit to attract young people to their company.

"Quicken Loans investing in downtown Detroit to attract young people to their company." OK so which company is going to invest in Jacksonville Florida and not ask for tax credits?

[The_Choose_1]

I will add that Riverside 220 and Brooklyn Station are the biggest and best revitalization efforts going on in the core and I am sure they will fulfill their intended purpose of populating Brooklyn and making that a vibrant area, and they are private investments.  They are also mixed use, which is why it will be more successful than other recent condo projects downtown.  Jacksonville may have finally realized that mixed use is the way to attract people and create the most vibrant communities.  COJ needs to incentivize further development there and in south La Villa to get people even closer to downtown.  Private investment = more tax revenue for the city.

We will see how well Riverside 220 does rent cost $1,060 - $2,004 Studio - 2 Beds. I'm glad these are Apartments and not Condo's? For I wouldn't rent one with all the damage that was done to them twice as they were being built.   Windows and sliding glass doors stayed open during constitution. I wonder if there will be a mold problem years from now?  Now the other Apartments "Brooklyn Station" $1000 dollars a month & up seems to be in better shape as they finish them and people move in. And having Fresh Market being built was also smart along with the other stores that want a piece of the New Action. The New and approved YMCA is getting built good news also. So in this area things are moving forward.   

[tufsu1]

As much as I hate the idea of a convention center at the Town Center, how much you want to bet that's what ends up happening?  "Well, we have to follow the market trends."

I would be very happy to bet that will not be the result of the study

[ProjectMaximus]

I will add that Riverside 220 and Brooklyn Station are the biggest and best revitalization efforts going on in the core and I am sure they will fulfill their intended purpose of populating Brooklyn and making that a vibrant area, and they are private investments.  They are also mixed use, which is why it will be more successful than other recent condo projects downtown.  Jacksonville may have finally realized that mixed use is the way to attract people and create the most vibrant communities.  COJ needs to incentivize further development there and in south La Villa to get people even closer to downtown.  Private investment = more tax revenue for the city.

Lake has written several articles on here about the many incentives and contributions Dan Gilbert and other CEOs are making to improve Downtown Detroit. The question that comes up every time is who would be Jacksonville's Sugar Daddy? Shad Khan would be the obvious answer, but the followup questions are is he willing to do that and is it even necessary to have one?

[thelakelander]

Well, I agree. However, the Orange County Convention Center was in the most suburban place possible, and it is by far the most popular destination for conventions in the country and the largest. I know Disney is there, that area has slightly urbanized, and it is apples to oranges, but it is not anywhere near their urban center.

Technically, I-Drive is more walkable and vibrant than DT Jax. There's also more to do there for tourist within walking distance than there is to do in DT Orlando....

Now there is and they have made it more walkable. However, even 10 years ago, nevermind when it was built, that was not the case. It was just near the theme parks.

I am all for a CC at the courthouse site. Lake, what would you like to see done with the annex though?

I personally believe that the annex would be great for conversion into apartments.  Since it's already standing and publicly owned, it seems like an ideal candidate for a public private partnership to deliver something suitable for the market.

[tufsu1]

Jason made a great rendering of a convention center on the courthouse site a few years ago. 

That was done for TransForm Jax.  I have the renderings but can never figure out how  to post images on MJ....but one of them can be found on the TransForm Jax Facebook page here

https://www.facebook.com/131474790263388/photos/pb.131474790263388.-2207520000.1436540840./270487349695464/?type=3&theater

since then, we have recommended that the entire roof be green....meaning it could be used for passive and/or active recreation space.  Lots of folks keep talking about having a large park on the river for concerts, fireworks, etc.  Why not have that park on top of the convention center?

[thelakelander]

Detroit has also made investments in its downtown over the last 20 years.  Although he's recently stepped up to the plate, along with others, it's not like they were lost until he popped up on the scene. We shouldn't expect or wait around for a sugar daddy either.

[The_Choose_1]

But we do have sugar daddies, Haskell, Gay, Peyton. I wasn't even thinking about Kahn. He needs to produce a winning team this year how many game did we win last year two?

[finehoe]

Here's an interactive map of downtown Miami's development pipeline:

http://miamidda.com/map/index.html

Maybe one day we'll have one for downtown Jacksonville.

[The_Choose_1]

Why in the heck do we need to be like Miami? What does Miami offer great nightlife, great restaurants, many wonderful Hotels. "23,500 condominiums -- 5,300 apartments -- 6,000+ hotel rooms -- 3.5 million square feet of office space -- 4.0 million square feet of retail" If you want to do a map that's easy. First off 1. First Baptist Church 2. Jaguars 3. Sweet Pete 4. The Landing 5. MOCA  6. Hyatt 7. Omni which I believe is still a miracle it's still here. 7. The Strand 8. 11 E Forsyth 9. The Carling / 11 East 10. 1431 Riverplace Blvd 11. 1478 Riverplace Blvd 12. Friendship park Fountain 13. The Riverwalk 14. Ruth's Chris Steak House And so many other wonderful places we all can be proud of.

[jaxlore]

http://jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory.php?Story_id=545765

Convention center dominates transition subcommittee talks
Friday, July 10, 12:03 PM EDT
By Karen Brune Mathis, Managing Editor

They dug into the weeds and are emerging with a recommendation for Mayor Lenny Curry to consider a new or expanded convention center.
In fact, the word "expanded" was debated by Curry's transition subcommittee members for economic development because many advocate for a new one rather than an enlarged Prime Osborn Convention Center.

"There's a lot of passion about the opportunities that a new or expanded convention center would bring," said subcommittee Chair John Delaney, president of the University of North Florida and a former mayor, after the meeting.

He said the group's consensus appears to be a new Downtown waterfront center.

Several members said during the meeting the Prime Osborn could continue focusing on regional and local trade shows and events.

"We're going to have a new convention center in Jacksonville someday," Delaney said during the meeting, emphasizing "someday."

Funding for an estimated potential $200 million to $500 million project was not addressed, although a few members said in previous meetings there were alternative funding methods.

Members will fine-tune the recommendation for a convention center to mirror one by the Jacksonville Civic Council's 2011 Northbank Redevelopment Task Force.

It's not clear if the committee will recommend a specific site. The Civic Council report suggested the old courthouse and City Hall Annex site next to the 963-room Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront hotel. There is not a hotel near the Prime Osborn.

In addition, the convention center recommendation will explain that it would serve as an anchor on the waterfront and provide jobs.

The group also focused on a "right-sized" center rather than suggest a specific size.

Aundra Wallace, CEO of the Downtown Investment Authority, said an updated market study about a convention center is due in mid-October. He said research indicates when convention planners are asked which location would be preferred, "the waterfront convention center will always win out over where we currently are right now."

The group also discussed that convention-generated jobs, admittedly low wage for the most part, would provide employment for many people who need work in the Downtown area.

City and state incentives have focused on creating high-wage jobs or high capital investment projects. Adding new programs to provide taxpayer assistance to create lower-wage jobs is a departure from traditional city and state deals.

Adding incentives to create lower-wage jobs also has been a consensus among members, citing the sociological and community benefits to bringing employment to distressed areas.

"We have really redefined what economic development is, and that's big. That's a real big issue in Jacksonville," said member Ginny Myrick, a former City Council member.

Myrick runs the Myrick Policy Group government relations firm and works with clients on incentives requests.

The subcommittee met for the eighth time Thursday. It was scheduled to be the last meeting, but Delaney will call a wrap-up session next week.

Members are asked to provide their suggested changes and updates so the final document can be approved then.

Other major recommendations include:

• Maintain the economic-development operational structure of the mayor's Office of Economic Development, the Downtown Investment Authority, the mayor's Office of Sports and Entertainment, the Jacksonville Sports Council and JAX Chamber.

• Maintain city support and monitoring of long-term high-profile projects, such as the port, shipyards, Community Wealth Building, Cecil Commerce Center and the Global Cities Export Plan.

• Establish a scorecard for economic development deals that receive city incentives and a system to monitor them.

• Develop an asset-mapping and management system to identify unused or underused city properties.

• Support Downtown economic development and the redevelopment master plan.

• Evaluate and implement a plan to accelerate permitting and regulatory review.

Curry spokesman Bill Spann said the transition subcommittee reports are due July 17. Once all are in, there will be a group meeting at which the subcommittee chairs will present their recommendations to Curry and his executive staff.

kmathis@jaxdailyrecord.com

(904) 356-2466

[RattlerGator]

The navel-gazing on this board . . . wow. The bitching and moaning . . . wow. The casual critique pointing out an obvious apples-to-oranges comparison from someone who routinely gets on here with all manner of discussion & comparisons about San Francisco, New York, Chicago, etc. -- wow.

I'm beginning to think more and more that some of y'all are the freaking problem and I guess that's unavoidable. Everybody in the city either has to be stupid or evil corporate types only interested in enriching them and theirs.

Sigh. And . . . Stephen:

"We used to. 

When we had thirty more hotels downtown, and all the nightlife and action you could find in any city outside of New Orleans."

Come on, man. Stop that.

We're an absolutely unique city with great beach communities from Fernandina Beach to Crescent Beach, a city with an urban core that has been hit by national trends that simply couldn't be mitigated. Unacknowledged by y'all urban core types (in my honest opinion) is the unique fact that we have such great beach communities that their presence slows the re-invigoration of the urban core.

Only now is Jax kinda in position to *really* bloom downtown, but this incessant bitching, this crazy invocation of Detroit, Huntsville, Mobile -- Ennis, what !?!

Plain and simple, the lure of the suburbs & the Beaches has been too much to successfully battle. Few urban areas had the combination we offered to pull focus from downtown: beautiful river all the way down to Central Florida, miles and miles of great beaches, and plenty of land for suburban housing near the river, the Intracoastal or the beach. But the stars are aligning for our urban core. That video posted by eu Jacksonville of Mama Blue performing under the I-95 bridge / Riverside Arts Market with the July 4th fireworks exploding in the background -- wow, the potential for this city and its riverfront is incredible.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=857446601012365

Great stuff. More context & understanding of Big Duval, more acceptance of & positivity about Jacksonville, less bitching and moaning. And yes, In Shad Khan I Trust !!! Y'all should, too.

[thelakelander]

^A few quick things....

1. While once vibrant during its heyday, it's a real stretch to claim that activity in DT Jax was only rivaled by New Orleans. Jax has always been a second tier regional city and just about every American city out there was significantly more vibrant (than it is today) prior to the 1950s.

2. Rattler, when I mentioned Huntsville and Mobile, I was speaking in regards to the size/conditions of their convention centers and adjacent supporting activities, in relation to the Prime Osborn's current situation.  I quick google search will validate my position on that comment. No opinions really needed.

3. I wish we stop saying we're so unique, only to then list things that every major coastal city in the country already has or has to deal with.  Jax isn't the only place with booming suburbs, a beach or other districts that some think downtown has to compete with. Just going up the Atlantic Coast, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Savannah, Charleston, Norfolk/Virginia Beach, etc. all face similar challenges, in regards to having nice vibrant beaches, but still figuring out how to better their cores. The faster we kill the excuse machine, the better off we'll be.