Analysis of Downtown Developments Since 2000

Metro Jacksonville · September 23, 2016, 06:05:01 AM

Analysis of Downtown Developments Since 2000

Read More: http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2016-sep-analysis-of-downtown-developments-since-2000

vicupstate · September 23, 2016, 08:59:35 AM

$2.2 Billion is a big number, but if you take out the government and institutional (Hospital) spending, it is less than $1 billion.

heights unknown · September 23, 2016, 04:57:54 PM

In all actuality, compared with other big Florida cities, not much going on. Hopefully, some huge projects will emerge on the scene.

KenFSU · September 23, 2016, 05:06:57 PM

Quote from: vicupstate on September 23, 2016, 08:59:35 AM
$2.2 Billion is a big number, but if you take out the government and institutional (Hospital) spending, it is less than $1 billion.

Quote from: heights unknown on September 23, 2016, 04:57:54 PM
In all actuality, compared with other big Florida cities, not much going on. Hopefully, some huge projects will emerge on the scene.

Miami = $10 billion in downtown development currently underway.
Orlando = $5.39 billion in downtown development
Tampa = couldn't find a number, but Jeff Vinik's project alone is expected to top $2 billion

thelakelander · September 24, 2016, 07:42:34 AM

^There's not much going on, compared with most cities of similar size. However, what's happening in Miami is hard for most cities to beat or keep up with.

heights unknown · September 24, 2016, 10:57:13 AM

Quote from: thelakelander on September 24, 2016, 07:42:34 AM
^There's not much going on, compared with most cities of similar size. However, what's happening in Miami is hard for most cities to beat or keep up with.

I agree Lakelander; yes, compared to cities of similar size almost nothing. Of course we all know that consolidation is a mask over the "real" size of Jacksonville...our size is illusory because of that. But compared to Miami, Tampa, and Orlando, real slow I think. I know, it's not fair really, but as Florida's most populous city, isn't it?

thelakelander · September 24, 2016, 11:24:46 AM

Metro Miami is more than three times the size of Metro Jax. Tampa and Orlando's MSAs are either more or roughly twice the size of Jax's. We're a regional small fry in comparison, no matter which way we slice it. Even at an equal rate of development, it's going to seem like there's more happening in places twice the size because in reality and in actual numbers, it is.

With that said, looking at what's going on in most places of similar size (ex. Memphis, Raleigh, Richmond, Birmingham, Louisville, Grand Rapids, etc.), it appears we've fallen a little bit behind them as well, in terms of DT development taking place right now. Six months from now, this might not be as big of an issue if several of the proposed projects actually break ground as anticipated.

heights unknown · September 24, 2016, 05:08:22 PM

Yeah Lake. I understand the Metro thing. But I believe despite the masking of our real size by consolidation, we still should be up there with Tampa or even Orlando; something is really wrong. Seems like a curse of some kind on my Jax. Yeah, we are up in no man's land and don't have all of the things going on for us that say Orlando or Tampa, or even other mid-sized cities have, but we should have a lot more, or even should be approaching or measuring up to them; the St. John's River is truly a State and local treasure and we don't even use it like we should. No, we are not in competition, but Jax has so much potential and it appears that it is always falling short or the potential is being neglected or thrown out of the window. No one to blame but our leaders and elected officials. Most of them are truly misfits and dirt bags.

Tacachale · September 24, 2016, 05:27:46 PM

^Consolidation doesn't have much to do with it. The Tampa-St Pete metro area is over twice the size of the Jax metro, and Orlando is nearly twice our size as well. That has much more to do with things than the population within the city limits. They aren't quite fair comparisons. However, we've got less activity in our downtown compared to metro areas bigger than us, about the same size, and some even smaller.

Ivegotasecret · September 26, 2016, 05:13:48 PM

Exactly what area do we want to say is "downtown"? One area on the map on the last page is called "periphery," but I think everything other than the Core is periphery. We've had some nice new stuff go into - or coming into - Brooklyn, the sports complex area, and Southbank, but that isn't "downtown." If I'm wrong about that, then we surely have about the largest downtown in the state, and an infill challenge like no other city.

The City poured (I.e., urinated away) money into the stadium with its world's biggest scoreboard (like 2nd biggest wouldn't do for a place as important as Jacksonville), and some want to pour (I.e., urinate away) money into dredging the river. If all that urine had been and/or will be used for - say - rehabbing the Laura Street Quartet and the Landing, there likely would be some nice vibe in the Core. "Vibe" means people on the sidewalks going from one place to another, shopping, eating, going to their nearby home. As it is now, the Core is almost a ghost town except when some special event (Artwalk once a month) takes place. It has to be the only downtown I know of where there is no rush in rush hour.

Ocklawaha · October 31, 2016, 06:36:27 PM

As some of our long-time readers know, I've been spending most Spring and Summers wandering the streets of OKC, DENVER, and MILWAUKEE. I note that the Milwaukee Modern Streetcar is now under construction. Remember all those MJ articles about the benefits of fixed rail? Recall the glowing reports from JTA about the raging building boom that would follow the First Coast Flyer? How's that working out for us?
By 2020 the City of Milwaukee will be home to four new high-rise towers 18, 30+ and 44 floors just to name a few. Along with this comes new downtown mixed use, the Concourse, and myriad other projects and its already 40 degrees outside! There is no excuse for JAX.

heights unknown · October 31, 2016, 10:22:46 PM

Quote from: Ocklawaha on October 31, 2016, 06:36:27 PM
As some of our long-time readers know, I've been spending most Spring and Summers wandering the streets of OKC, DENVER, and MILWAUKEE. I note that the Milwaukee Modern Streetcar is now under construction. Remember all those MJ articles about the benefits of fixed rail? Recall the glowing reports from JTA about the raging building boom that would follow the First Coast Flyer? How's that working out for us?
By 2020 the City of Milwaukee will be home to four new high-rise towers 18, 30+ and 44 floors just to name a few. Along with this comes new downtown mixed use, the Concourse, and myriad other projects and its already 40 degrees outside! There is no excuse for JAX.

My sentiments exactly, and, this is what I was alluding to or trying to say; NO EXCUSE. I know consolidation really has nothing to do with it, but if you promote or market yourself as the 12th largest/biggest city in the U.S. by population, you'd better live up to it, and we don't by a long, long shot. There is NOTHING to offer not only in the city in general, but downtown as well...nothing going on hardly at all. Maybe shrink those boundaries back a bit and become a 300,000 or 400,000 city and even that's too big for Jax to live up to the non-existent, ghost downtown that we have. Our leaders need to get busy and get things going; that's what they get paid for.