Via the Daily Record: Lot at Forest & Park to be sold

[MusicMan]

Did anyone ever propose moving them into that vacant restaurant site in LaVilla? It's a newer building that has been vacant for several years.
Seems like a perfect fit.

I'm talking about the building near Union and Davis directly across from the LaVilla Museum/Ritz Theater.

[Charles Hunter]

I think it mentioned in the article that he looked at it,  but it has a lounge,  which he has no need for.

[thelakelander]

He's 74. Sounds like this ended up being a pretty good opportunity to move on with his life.

[Captain Zissou]

Plans show the store, on 1.87 acres, would face Park Street, with 20 fueling positions and a canopy in the front. The addresses are 436 and 444 Park St.

A car wash would be on the north side of the property, along Forest Street. The store would feature outdoor seating, air and vacuum stations and 26 parking spaces.

http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory.php?Story_id=547144

Sounds like this will have the worst possible layout. Why not put the store at Forest & Park and the pumps behind along park and the car wash in the back with an exit onto Chelsea?  The daily's on Atlantic puts this to shame and has less acreage to work with.

[thelakelander]

This tells you all you need to know. What's proposed is most likely the typical gas station layout they've been building all over town recently.

The application includes a letter requesting approval of deviations from setback, entrances, off-street parking and transparency requirements in the Downtown District Regulations of the city's Zoning Code.

[Tacachale]

Ugh ugh ugh. This shouldn't happen.

[thelakelander]

Plans show the store, on 1.87 acres, would face Park Street, with 20 fueling positions and a canopy in the front.  The addresses are 436 and 444 Park St.

A car wash would be on the north side of the property, along Forest Street. The store would feature outdoor seating, air and vacuum stations and 26 parking spaces.

A rendering shows it will include a Yobe frozen yogurt shop.

Sounds like the site plan at the new Gate near SJTC and UNF.


Park Street Elevation


This would looking NW at the property from Park Street. The car wash (in the background) would be along Forest Street.

[Steve]

So it's basically just like every Gate gas station. Since the Peyton family was such a champion of Downtown when John was in office, I'm shocked that the plan looks like shit.

[UNFurbanist]

You think the DDB will push back on the design and insist on something at least a little more urban? While the Gate near UNF has a lot of amenities and is nice inside that layout should be nowhere near the urban core.

[JaxJersey-licious]

I agree that this is a wasted opportunity for something more aesthetically pleasing than your typical gas station and I'd rather not be contrarian to those ideals, but given that this is right off a very busy highway interchange the setback deviations would be necessary for the sake of smoother traffic flow? Yes, the idea of having the store be front-facing would be the perfect fit for the area but with a dozen pumps plus the food store and having everyone entering from Park from all directions could create some serious backups.

Plus with all the proposed new retail, Riverside 200, and future proposed hotel in the works this interchange is only going to get busier and busier. I hope something more ammenable could be hammered out.

[thelakelander]

It's actually the gateway to downtown, Riverside and Brooklyn from I-10. Hopefully, a site plan can be developed that's a little better than the back of an automatic car wash building fronting the main corridor (Forest) into town.

[Kerry]

I recently moved to this area and while I am not interested in regulating land-use, I am very interested in place-making and promiting good urban design.  What is the approval/review process for this project and how soon can the public get involved?

[brainstormer]

Absolutely horrible site design. The comment about Peyton wasn't too far off. One would hope that a local grown company would have the decency to respect urban development in our core and not even try to promote something so suburban on such a prime location. There will soon be a nice hotel on that corner and we should demand better design. Since it is a prime location, Gate won't back out. Make them build something decent.

I would hope the DDRB would really question traffic flow in the area. Forest is a divided street, so there should only be a right turn entrance and a right turn exit into and out of Gate. Park Street is not divided, but I would suggest the exit and entrance be as far away from the intersection as possible. With this in mind, it actually makes sense to put the building right up along the sidewalk on the corner with the pumps behind. Why not have a nice cafeteria style seating area inside/outside the building. I honestly think Gate is just being lazy.

[Steve]

I honestly think Gate is just being lazy.

I agree...but unless the DDRB holds them to the law, then what's the motivation for them to be better? I think we've established that they have no real incentive in being a good corporate citizen.

[Kay]

DDRB workshop tomorrow, March 24 at 10 a.m.  Location:  City Hall, Renaissance Room on first floor.  Open to the public.