Laura Street Trio developer says pieces are in place — except for city funding

[thelakelander]

Could they please require street-level retail and not fake windows for 'future' development.

The garage would replace a surface parking lot with street level retail, an outdoor public plaza and a future infill building pad. However, whether they get city funding or not to make the entire project a reality is anyone's guess.

[Captain Zissou]

For the alt public art location at forsyth and laura, they should make a parklet or some sort of curb cut out.  The park will take away all the food truck parking, so we need somewhere for them to go during artwalk, first friday's, the expanded night market, or whatnot.

[jaxcpa]

Not sure if this is meant as sarcasm or not, but I work at 301 Bay St, and since Citizens moved in....yeah, we could use another parking garage.

We could also use some more decent choices of food on the west side of Main St.

Pho, Zodiac, Magnificat, Atrium cafe, that place next to Legal Aid, Pita Pit, 7 Eleven, Village Bread, Hooters, Chicago Pizza, NOLA, bunch of food trucks, places down by the courthouse, Farah's (or maybe its Akels?) Deli...

Do you ever read the restaurant inspection reports? I beg you, stay away from the restaurants at the Landing!! Unless you don't mind that a rat has taken a bite before you....

[Houseboat Mike]

Not sure if this is meant as sarcasm or not, but I work at 301 Bay St, and since Citizens moved in....yeah, we could use another parking garage.

We could also use some more decent choices of food on the west side of Main St.

Pho, Zodiac, Magnificat, Atrium cafe, that place next to Legal Aid, Pita Pit, 7 Eleven, Village Bread, Hooters, Chicago Pizza, NOLA, bunch of food trucks, places down by the courthouse, Farah's (or maybe its Akels?) Deli...

Do you ever read the restaurant inspection reports? I beg you, stay away from the restaurants at the Landing!! Unless you don't mind that a rat has taken a bite before you....

yeah, last time I was at the pizza place there, and a roach scurried across the bar as I was taking a bite of the pizza, was the last day I ate at the landing.

[KenFSU]

Anyone know if this project has any shot of progressing without the city kicking in that $8 million?

If Laura Street is going to happen, I can't imagine a better time economically.

[Snufflee]

Where are Rockville and those other festivals moving too? I am assuming the Stadium Amphitheater doesnt quite work for festival type events.

[Downtown Osprey]

Honestly blows my mind how city leaders seem to be perfectly okay with having massive buildings sit there to rot away into the abyss. Absolutely embarrassing.

[Snufflee]

Where are Rockville and those other festivals moving too? I am assuming the Stadium Amphitheater doesnt quite work for festival type events.

He's shopping around. Probably they will end up  in Palm Coast.

Sigh... why can't we have nice things... Not sure that the new amphitheater is going to attract the bands that Rockville attracted as headline concerts. This is looking like a colossal waste of time and money.

[DrQue]

I dunno.. the bombed out Eastern European look is growing on me. Visit Jacksonville should consider running an Urban Exploration campaign.

[Tacachale]

To their credit, the Laura Street Trio folks have always said their project is impossible without the DIA subsidy. That doesn't seem any more likely now than it has the last several years.

Not sure what Rockville has to do with this. There's no reason they shouldn't be able to use Metro Park again the same way they've used it for years. For concerts, it's effectively just an empty lot and has been ever since the little bandshell thing got too unsafe to use. And if it doesn't work out, there are plenty of other lots they could use, including another just a few blocks away at the Fairgrounds.

[strider]

To their credit, the Laura Street Trio folks have always said their project is impossible without the DIA subsidy. That doesn't seem any more likely now than it has the last several years.

Not sure what Rockville has to do with this. There's no reason they shouldn't be able to use Metro Park again the same way they've used it for years. For concerts, it's effectively just an empty lot and has been ever since the little bandshell thing got too unsafe to use. And if it doesn't work out, there are plenty of other lots they could use, including another just a few blocks away at the Fairgrounds.

Wasn't the issue with using Metro Park for things like Welcome to Rockville right now the fact they closed off part of the park from use, not just stopped the band stand from being used, nor have they, as far as I have heard, made arrangements to either tear it down (where's MCCD when you need them?  )or fix the thing.

The facts are we are now not gaining venues but loosing them.  We are not progressing but rather going backwards. 

[Tacachale]

To their credit, the Laura Street Trio folks have always said their project is impossible without the DIA subsidy. That doesn't seem any more likely now than it has the last several years.

Not sure what Rockville has to do with this. There's no reason they shouldn't be able to use Metro Park again the same way they've used it for years. For concerts, it's effectively just an empty lot and has been ever since the little bandshell thing got too unsafe to use. And if it doesn't work out, there are plenty of other lots they could use, including another just a few blocks away at the Fairgrounds.

Wasn't the issue with using Metro Park for things like Welcome to Rockville right now the fact they closed off part of the park from use, not just stopped the band stand from being used, nor have they, as far as I have heard, made arrangements to either tear it down (where's MCCD when you need them?  )or fix the thing.

The facts are we are now not gaining venues but loosing them.  We are not progressing but rather going backwards.

So far as I know, the only things that affected the last Rockville in April were the lack of the bandshell (which hasn't been safe to use since last year) and not having access to the EverBank lot across the street due to construction. Nothing else should be different.

There are plans to take down the bandshell, but long-term redevelopment plans need to take place. It's not a very good events venue, and really never was.

[FlaBoy]

Hoping 2017 is the year 

[MusicMan]

I'm going out on a limb here, but the Laura Street Trio will come down. It's not going to be salvaged. Possibly the old Barnett Bank,  and possibly the Marble Bank,  but "The Two Towers" will not survive. (Just ask Saruman).

They will be demolished before the end of 2017. And that's probably a good thing, because if they are not then they will still be standing as vacant eyesores 10 years from now, just like Berkman II.

All the mojo to preserve them is coming from people with NO MONEY. If the Weaver's wanted to save them, fine, it would happen. But as far as I know they have no interest in them. NO ONE with money has stepped forth. ONly a bunch of pipe dreamers who have no money.

Gravity and the long tradition of demolition will win this battle.

[thelakelander]

They aren't structurally in danger of falling down, so to demolish someone is going to have to pay a couple of million to bring them down. Who's willing to throw away that type of money, with no chance of ever getting it back?