The Jacksonville Landing: What Should It Be?

[I-10east]

^^^My bad, I see the breezeway, and I don't know where I've been (considering that it was a placeholder) LOL.

[For_F-L-O-R-I-D-A]

Not one dime in the near future from the city should go towards demolishing the Landing to build that. Not one dime.

[CCMjax]

Not one dime in the near future from the city should go towards demolishing the Landing to build that. Not one dime.

And why?  Explain what you would like to see.

[CCMjax]

There is a Laura Street "breezeway" and the architecture is a placeholder....

Wait, so pretty much the whole thing is a placeholder?  wtf?  I guess they were waiting for public feedback?  Only problem is they are going to get 50 billion different amateur opinions.  Those who don't like the current design, you have to admit, it's an improvement from the last one.  Hopefully they can keep getting closer to a final design instead of just facing the same amount of opposition each time.

[UNFurbanist]

The large square building is a place holder in an architectural sense. The square footage and usage will remain almost exactly the same in their final design but what shape it comes in will be looked over one last time. Also the laura st opening will remain along with the riverfront concepts most likely. Honestly they listen to everyone so that they can say just say that they listened to the public opinion. Whether they follow it or not is a totally different matter. At the end of the day the team they gathered for this are experts and have tackled tons of other similar projects with success so i'm sure their expertise will guide their concepts and not some old lady who wants to see the entire thing be a flower garden. (That was a real suggestion for the entire site)

[thelakelander]

Flower garden? Wow!

[For_F-L-O-R-I-D-A]

Not one dime in the near future from the city should go towards demolishing the Landing to build that. Not one dime.

And why?  Explain what you would like to see.

If they want to demolish and rebuilt 100% on Sleiman's dime, go for it. I personally am a fan of the iconic landing sign but the rest of it can go. I just don't believe spending tax payer dollars on the Landing will really change anything DT or be a wise investment without first investing elsewhere or investing simultaneously. The Landing is functional. They could renovate it at a fraction of the cost just to update it from looking straight out of the 1980's instead of going straight to demolition. Come up with some real ideas for adaptive reuse that are economically feasible, not just demo the thing on our dime and build some apartments and restaurants in a normal mixed use project which is built on any other block in DT Orlando, Tampa, St. Pete or even Gainesville. If this is part of a larger plan, with a real vision for Laura St. that includes the Trio, I would be in. What is the vision? "Retail and apartments," but that is about as broad as it gets. What are they looking for this to be? But there are other potential needs such as a convention center that could benefit DT and Jax immediately once built. Look, I think opening up Laura St. to the river is a good thing, I am just not ready to say it should be the priority in this town right now.

[thelakelander]

Building aside, the addition of an interactive green space riverfront greenspace west of Main Street is one of the best things that could happen to the core of the Northbank. It's what cities like Chattanooga, Detroit, Tampa and Baltimore have gotten right and something that Jax has always lacked, despite being the "River City".

[Charles Hunter]

Random Thoughts
It is hard to tell from the perspective in the picture, but it looks like it blocks the view of the Wells Fargo "pyramid" from across the river.  Clever use of viewing angle. 

Interesting, the rendering doesn't include the beautiful Paramore Garage.

Looks like it assumes the Main Street Bridge ramp from the roundabout goes away.

[jaxlore]

so much for iconic. looks like a riverside ave extension. I like the opening of Laura street and the green space but the rest is just boring. Why must we continue to de-cityfi our downtown?

[For_F-L-O-R-I-D-A]

Building aside, the addition of an interactive green space riverfront greenspace west of Main Street is one of the best things that could happen to the core of the Northbank. It's what cities like Chattanooga, Detroit, Tampa and Baltimore have gotten right and something that Jax has always lacked, despite being the "River City".

That is not a very large space though compared to those cities and what they offer. It is just a small strip I am assuming for the little concerts they have now. They should try to remove Hogan St. and just add more green space there. Interesting that they added some buildings right on the river too.

I do think Laura/Bay/Forsythe/Adams Corridor here is the key to revitalization. They need to have a real plan including the Trio though and I would go for this.

[hiddentrack]

It's interesting. Mostly I'm glad to see it's not something gimmicky!

I know it's not a final rendering, but if this is generally what they have in mind, I think I'd rather see the riverfront greenspace run the full length of the property along the river, from the bridge west to the Times-Union Center, with the scale/variety of the buildings along the north end of the property looking more like what's in the rendering between Hogan and Laura.

Just because the area between Laura and the bridge is as big as it is doesn't mean we have to fill it in with one big box of a building that takes up the entire space. I'm sure part of its size is due to parking, but isn't that area's parking part of what the Parador parking garage was supposed to be for?

[simms3]

My thoughts>

1) Rents are nowhere near high enough in Jacksonville to justify solid architecture and use of quality materials, so I think anything new construction will just look like shit, especially right here in the postcard central viewpoint of the city

2) He's itching to get multifamily done because it's the only thing profitable (for new construction), and I don't think this site is a good multifamily site from a public use perspective (and it IS public land that he leases, doesn't own...and it better stay that way so your complaints remain valid on use)

3) I hope he's not trying to put retail all around the building on the ground floor - it will never work and will still sit empty and look bad.  Retailers want to be across from each other like they are now, not scattered around a box with no other uses across or around them.

4) Clearly he wants to "outparcel" the restaurants on the river.  San Francisco did this with a small section of the Embarcadero.  Solid restaurants went in (locals...in fact chains are outright outlawed in most of the city), but just be weary of chain restaurants coming in to these outparcels

5) Think about the experience now as you are walking down the public land that is the riverwalk - is this configuration an improvement or a mistake?

[jaxjaguar]

In regards to the out parcels / extending the green-space down the riverfront, it would be neat to see something like the images below put in. You could have the green space available for people to picnic / watch fireworks / etc from and the out parcels below. There would also still be room to walk in front of the buildings on the riverwalk if designed with a glass face like the image below. It could be a modern, iconic design, green space and out parcel all in one.

I feel like if they did something like that in the front you could get away with something less expensive looking behind it...

[finehoe]

... just be weary of chain restaurants coming in to these outparcels

I'm guessing you meant "wary" although "weary" is apt as well. 

If this plan ever comes to fruition, it will without a doubt be chain restaurants locating there.  I remember reading on more than a few occasions on MJ what a coup having a Cheesecake Factory locating at the Landing would be.