Study recommends JEA demolish, rebuild headquarters at $57 to $64 million

[FlaBoy]

Main Street and Duval makes the most sense to me. It is a huge hole in downtown at this point driving on Main St. It could also help to make the Main Street Pocket Park more than a homeless center. It is close to Hemming, the Library, Adams, and Laura. They also use the block up on Church for their vehicles already so they may already own that land for some use.

I think the open lots near the river will be our best chance at in-fill development in the near future including possible residential. The lot of Main and Duval will not be developed for another decade at least. Keep those open. The only other places I would be really tempted by as my second and third choices (if they put retail as part of the development) would be the block of the Annex Garage between Bay and Forsyth because I HATE that garage and the dead zone it leaves on Bay and Forsyth. The third option is the lot next to the State Attorneys Office on the corner of Adams and Julia.

In sum,

1) Corner of Main St. and Duval
2) Annex Garage Site
3) Corner of Adams and Julia

We need density folks. Enough of this spread out crap. Let's build a nice core of downtown and then spread out.

Finally, UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD THEY TEAR DOWN THE CURRENT JEA BUILDING. NONE. Thanks! 

[Steve]

How about on the site of the Main Street Pocket Park? That was a terrible decision to build.

[thelakelander]

Yeah, still waiting for the JEDC to deliver that hotel and Salvation Army to sell their land....

[RatTownRyan]

So they describe the parcel that JEA wants as 1.2 acres near the courthouse that is current used for parking. Welll hell that describes at least six possible lots. Can someone clue me in on which block??

[RatTownRyan]

Correction. 1.52acres

[thelakelander]

Sounds like the old George Washington Hotel site. 



It's the block bounded by Adams, Julia, Monroe and Pearl Streets.

[heights unknown]

Main Street and Duval makes the most sense to me. It is a huge hole in downtown at this point driving on Main St. It could also help to make the Main Street Pocket Park more than a homeless center. It is close to Hemming, the Library, Adams, and Laura. They also use the block up on Church for their vehicles already so they may already own that land for some use.

I think the open lots near the river will be our best chance at in-fill development in the near future including possible residential. The lot of Main and Duval will not be developed for another decade at least. Keep those open. The only other places I would be really tempted by as my second and third choices (if they put retail as part of the development) would be the block of the Annex Garage between Bay and Forsyth because I HATE that garage and the dead zone it leaves on Bay and Forsyth. The third option is the lot next to the State Attorneys Office on the corner of Adams and Julia.

In sum,

1) Corner of Main St. and Duval
2) Annex Garage Site
3) Corner of Adams and Julia

We need density folks. Enough of this spread out crap. Let's build a nice core of downtown and then spread out.

Finally, UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD THEY TEAR DOWN THE CURRENT JEA BUILDING. NONE. Thanks! 

I

I agree FLABOY with your recommendations; especially adding density and THEN spreading out.
Main Street and Duval makes the most sense to me. It is a huge hole in downtown at this point driving on Main St. It could also help to make the Main Street Pocket Park more than a homeless center. It is close to Hemming, the Library, Adams, and Laura. They also use the block up on Church for their vehicles already so they may already own that land for some use.

I think the open lots near the river will be our best chance at in-fill development in the near future including possible residential. The lot of Main and Duval will not be developed for another decade at least. Keep those open. The only other places I would be really tempted by as my second and third choices (if they put retail as part of the development) would be the block of the Annex Garage between Bay and Forsyth because I HATE that garage and the dead zone it leaves on Bay and Forsyth. The third option is the lot next to the State Attorneys Office on the corner of Adams and Julia.

In sum,

1) Corner of Main St. and Duval
2) Annex Garage Site
3) Corner of Adams and Julia

We need density folks. Enough of this spread out crap. Let's build a nice core of downtown and then spread out.

Finally, UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD THEY TEAR DOWN THE CURRENT JEA BUILDING. NONE. Thanks! 

I agree FLABOY with your recommendations, nothing wrong with those locations if zoning is right for such a building and they're available. Still also think that something on the river, or in enterprise center or across the street at the OMNI would be good too. Yes, DENSITY! And DON'T, I repeat DON'T demolish the old current building; renovate/upgrade it, sell it, so we can keep an iconic and historic skyscraper and part of the Jacksonville skyline; let's quit tearing down our historic parts of our downtown and our city if we can; we've destroyed too much already.

[heights unknown]

Sounds like the old George Washington Hotel site. 



It's the block bounded by Adams, Julia, Monroe and Pearl Streets.

That also would be a good location, but is it big enough? 1.2 acres is not all that big for a tower or campus unless you go super vertical.

[vicupstate]

What about the site of the existing Greyhound station? The block bound by Clay, Forsyth, Bay, Pearl?
1.57 acres, only one property owner to deal with, which won't have need of it soon. 
Easy access to Courthouse garage and Water ST. garage. Directly across from Central Skyway station.


Would be 'on the postcard' next to Everbank building rather than hidden by it.

[thelakelander]

If the requirements are the same...

Requirements for a future building, according to the board presentation, include: being located downtown, accommodating 800 employees and parking spaces, about 220,000 square feet of space, full backup power, no parking garage under the building, state of the art emergency operations center, board room/auditorium for 300 people, parking for customers, and parking facility for JEA vehicles and equipment.

Assume a garage would take up half of the block.  Then you'd have an adjacent building probably averaging somewhere around 20,000 square feet of space per floor. That would put you in the range of 11 stories, give or take, on a site this size.

[RattlerGator]

What about the site of the existing Greyhound station? The block bound by Clay, Forsyth, Bay, Pearl?
1.57 acres, only one property owner to deal with, which won't have need of it soon. 
Easy access to Courthouse garage and Water ST. garage. Directly across from Central Skyway station.


Would be 'on the postcard' next to Everbank building rather than hidden by it.

Damn good point.

[billy]

So the Greyhound station gets torn down.

[Fallen Buckeye]

Still also think that something on the river

Putting another public entity on the river does not make sense. We already have the school board and the jail taking up prime real estate, and we just got the courthouse away from the river. That would be a step backwards to put JEA there imo.

[KenFSU]

Neither love nor hate the proposed location, but I do love the land swap, in that it incentives both the JEA and the city to aggressively seek a buyer for the existing JEA building.

[FlaBoy]

Neither love nor hate the proposed location, but I do love the land swap, in that it incentives both the JEA and the city to aggressively seek a buyer for the existing JEA building.

Under no circumstances should those buildings be torn down. None. I hope the city can find someone, and it would make sense since the building is in decent shape, needs renovations, but would cost a lot more to build that density from scratch nowadays.

I have thought the current JEA call center could be a great spot for DCPS (that or the old Armory which the city also owns) if they want to sell their land on the river.