Balanky proposes 26-story tower/gondola lift for Southbank

[Captain Zissou]

Some of you people are just as short sighted as the city itself

What is so visionary about making the city pay for a gimmick that brings people to your development?

[JPalmer]

Maybe the gondola can have a stop at the Barge Entertainment Space, another "private" development that needed our city's charity to ever get past a silly drawing.

[acme54321]

Some of you people are just as short sighted as the city itself

What is so visionary about making the city pay for a gimmick that brings people to your development?

You clearly have no vision!

[TimmyB]

Hey, I just saw this story on News 4!  No doubt, it is happening!!!   

[KenFSU]

More info:

https://residentnews.net/2018/04/03/developer-wants-to-traverse-st-johns-river-by-sky-gondolas/

[billy]

This totally screws up my dolphin pulled floating rickshaw venture-

[ralpho37]

To be clear, is the gondola not happening until the convention center gets built? Or is the tower not happening until the convention center gets built.

I don't particularly care about the gondola, but the tower would be a nice addition to the skyline and continue the growth in the San Marco area.

[thelakelander]

The gondola is a pipe dream that's not happening. The tower ain't happening either until he clears up the legal dispute with JTA.

[downtownbrown]

...and the convention center won't be built, Berkman 2 won't be finished, the USS Adams will never arrive, the Hart Bridge ramps will never be lowered, and Khan will never develop the Shipyards.  Welcome to Jacksonville!

[Kerry]

Why on earth would JTA be opposed to having residential units on the site.  It seems like that would give them built in users for the Skyway.

[Tacachale]

Why on earth would JTA be opposed to having residential units on the site.  It seems like that would give them built in users for the Skyway.

Sounds like it has to do with the Skyway expansion proposal, of all things.

[jaxjags]

Integrate the Skyway into the building design. What a novel idea.

[Steve]

The gondola is a pipe dream that's not happening. The tower ain't happening either until he clears up the legal dispute with JTA.

I feel like the JTA agreement with Balanky will get resolved, as getting it resolved really is in everyone's best interest.

The gondolas on the other hand..,..that will likely happen when Charter Co's Floating nukes are completed.

[KenFSU]

The gondola is a pipe dream that's not happening. The tower ain't happening either until he clears up the legal dispute with JTA.

I feel like the JTA agreement with Balanky will get resolved, as getting it resolved really is in everyone's best interest.

The gondolas on the other hand..,..that will likely happen when Charter Co's Floating nukes are completed.

What's a bit goofy to me is that Balanky wants the first phase of the gondola to go from just west of the District (in the contaminated plot boxed below) to the old Courthouse site.



That spot on the Southbank is literally a 60 second walk to a Skyway station, and it'll dump you off on the north bank a couple of blocks away. With much shorter headways.

The route doesn't seem practical or necessary.

At least there's utility in a Southbank to Sports Complex route. It's serving a need that currently isn't served.

[Steve]

While I'm not a fan of the elevated Skyway overall, the Convention Center site, Shipyards site, and Sports Complex is one extension that to me could make sense.

Then, you don't need this Gondola thing at all. Fundamentally, I really don't have a problem with it, but How much is a river crossing with these things? And his plan has two!