Peter Rummell's Healthy Town Site Plan Released

[thelakelander]

Yes.

[Noone]

The smaller projects are what gets things going in most cities.  You just take advantage of the bigger ones when you have the opportunity. IMO, things are going well for Jax right now.  There's a lot of exciting projects like Broadstone, Lofts of LaVilla, FSCJ Lerner Shops, Elena Flats, Cowford and even Morton's at the Hyatt, that are moving forward just fine.  Time will tell if we can top them off with a Laura Trio, District or East San Marco.

+1

[marcuscnelson]

http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/article/most-of-jea-southbank-property-ruled-environmentally-sound

A large portion of JEA's Downtown Southbank property where its Southside Generating Station once stood is environmentally sound, according to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

[Rynjny]

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/local/construction-will-begin-on-the-southbank-next-year/467694643

Construction will begin on the Southbank next year

[MusicMan]

So they are paying $17,000,000 for the land, when it closes, correct?

[acme54321]

Construction was going to begin on the Southbank last year 

[thelakelander]

This one is like the Shipyards to me. I'll believe it when cranes show up on the site.

[jaxnyc79]

"The District" feels a bit "over-engineered" and gimmicky to me.  The activities and the forced inter-generational interactions sound nice, but feel too scripted for that organic sensibility that makes the greatest neighborhoods great.  This feels like a a mixed use waterfront country club that happens to have more multi-story structures than what the region is used to. 

By the way, does anyone know if there is a zoning that emphasizes pedestrian-scale priority over getting around in a car.  "Pedestrian-scale zoning district?"

[billy]

In Atlanta, they have "Quality of Life " districts that place an emphasis on sidewalk design and layout, planting zones, street level activity and relation of building to street.

[thelakelander]

In Miami, they have a city-wide Form-based code now: http://www.miami21.org/

[Keith-N-Jax]

This one is like the Shipyards to me. I'll believe it when cranes show up on the site.

That's pretty much any construction project in Jacksonville unless its road construction!

[jaxnyc79]

In Miami, they have a city-wide Form-based code now: http://www.miami21.org/

I just went through the "Illustrated Principles."  Is there some way the COJ could codify these principles for the core city, instead of just downtown or Riverside or Springfield or San Marco?  Too much resistance by neighborhood groups?  Walkability slows down car speeds and getting from A to B? 

[thelakelander]

Yes. COJ could do a lot of things. The city could strip down and replace the entire code like Miami, if it wanted too. However, I don't think neighborhood resistance is stopping much. I believe it's the other way around. If neighborhood groups and residents knew about these things and actually asked for them, they'd happen faster.

[Flash60]

Have they purchased the property from JEA yet? I thought I read that the property has been completely remediated. What's taking so long?

[KenFSU]

Have they purchased the property from JEA yet? I thought I read that the property has been completely remediated. What's taking so long?

Per Munz and Rummell, now that the property has a clean bill of health, the final step before purchasing the property is negotiating a redevelopment agreement with the city. Both seem confident that it'll be an easy, swift process. They're targeting December for purchase of the land.

From there, 12 to 14 months of flat infrastructure construction beginning on the west end of the property - riverwalk, sidewalks, roads, etc - with the hope that vertical construction can begin before horizontal construction has fully wrapped.

The District people claim to be in serious negotiations with a full-scale green grocery store, as well as a 10-12 screen theater chain, with an emphasis on meal service during the shows.

No new info on the hotel chain that signed on, aside from Munz saying that, "it will have a cool, hip urban downtown vibe that works well by being connected to the riverfront."

source: http://residentnews.net/2017/08/02/major-hurdle-cleared-district-moves-forward-development/

Call me optimistic, but I bet we see the District go vertical faster and further than the Shipyards/Met Park in the next couple of years. Rummell's in his 70s now, and I feel like this is a really important legacy project to him personally.

Haven't seen this posted here, but the District has also commissioned Jacksonville University to study the health of residents once they beginning moving in:

https://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/news/2017/08/21/ju-will-study-the-benefits-provided-by-the.html