JEA hunt for headquarters site is silent on evacuation risk

[thelakelander]

The renderings and site plans to the Khan stuff changes every few months. Here was Lot J last year:



Looking at the latest JEA rendering, one of those towers have been taken out for the JEA box:

[KenFSU]

I can't say I love any of the three proposals. The Lot J design would look right at home on Touchton or Baymeadows. Kings Avenue is a little better, but it's on the Southbank, with a highway wrapped around it. And even though the Courthouse location has the best design of the three (in my opinion), none of the options seem to include any street-level retail or public features. Again, I'd love to see why Atkins proposal, which was jammed with mixed use, didn't make the short-list. And if the Courthouse site is chosen, I really hope the city finds a way to somehow activate that greenspace out front. It's a really beautiful space that people treat like hot lava.

Kind of silly to me that after all the flashy renderings and $2.5 billion figures thrown out there, Lamping is touting this as the "centerpiece" of the Jags downtown plans:

[KenFSU]

I hate seeing the JEA Tower get razed in order to get replaced by a smaller building.

This just makes me sad:



What a downgrade, especially if the tower is razed for a garage.

[thelakelander]

I kind of like this one. I doubt it's selected but it would at least help economically stimulate redevelopment and reuse of properties like Stanton, the Richmond Hotel, etc. along Broad Street.




If this has some limited form of retail at street level, this isn't a bad one either. It fills a dead block with activity and possibly creates additional foot traffic for all the surrounding vacant retail to be leased.

[thelakelander]

I'm not crazy about the architecture of this one. However, at least it's connected to the Skyway. This along with the proposal at Broad & Church (First Coast Flyer BRT Station) is exactly what we should be doing with major public destinations......locating them at or within walking distance of our high frequency transit stops.

[Bill Hoff]

Aren't these all just place holder renderings?

[KenFSU]

^No, these are the actual designs submitted as part of the RFP.

They're representative of what each developer intends to build.

Doesn't really matter though, I just can't see any way that Lot J doesn't win.

There's just too much conflict of interest going in the Jags favor. On the six-member board making the decision, you've got the CFO/SVP of Jags, who has worked closely with Mark Lamping for years, dating back to the construction of Metlife stadium when both were in New York. Even if she's recusing herself from the vote, it doesn't mean she can't infuence it. And you've got two other members about to appointed by the mayor, right after Shad Khan announced a fundraiser for the mayor's re-election campaign, and right after JEA switched course (again) and extended the deadline on the vote, which conveniently gives the new board members a chance to slip in.

What's patently ridiculous to me though is how poorly JEA fits in with the Jags' vision for Lot J.

If anyone has spent any time at JEA, it's not exactly the work/live/play type of millenial crowd that they're going after to fill the residential component, and frequent the bars on random weeknights, and attend concerts and events at the sports complex.

You'd think that trying to lure someone like Fanatics or an outside tech company would be a better fit.

Here are the full public information packages (hilarious that for Ryan, all we get is a YouTube video, and how limited the public documents are for the other two).

https://www.jea.com/About/Corporate_Headquarters

I'm super curious about who pays for the Lot J parking garage that JEA will need for its nearly 1,000 workers.

Does the city pay for it as parking for sports & entertainment and JEA gets to use it during working hours for a penny on the dollar?

[thelakelander]

My guess is taxpayers will get double fleeced. The project itself will be heavily subsidized and JEA is a public entity anyway. I also don't think there is a real vision for the Shipyards/Lot J. Every year, it's something else, depending on what blow with the wind. At the end of the day, it will be whatever brings them the most financial gain.

[marcuscnelson]

It's honestly incredible that the plan with the largest backing and most likely to win is the least inspiring and most nonsensical (given Ken's comment and Lake's previous statements) design and location of any of these comments.

At least Ryan and Balanky's plans have some kind of flair, vs a gigantic, featureless glass box. This is really supposed to be the anchor point of some kind of grand recreational and fun development? At least the Balanky plan is realistic about the surrounding development being offices. The Ryan Courthouse plans actually look really good, but somehow Shad Kahn has bullied his way into making a utility company the centerpiece of his big plan? Does JEA even want to be right next door to Live? It's completely ridiculous, and honestly disgusting.

[jaxlongtimer]

The Southbank proposal has the Skyway, I-95 visibility (probably the highest of the 3 sites remaining with over 125,000+ cars a day going by), an existing parking garage and hotel and lots of higher density housing projects going up within walking distance.  Of the 3 proposals, their architecture is the most daring and memorable.

I would also favor the Courthouse site but wish the architecture was something more interesting than a "box."

I agree with comments about Lot J.  Really taking a square peg and putting it in a round hole.  Shad's vision reminds me of all the grand plans for La Villa/Prime Osborne area that turned out to never be and/or what was built to be nothing like was planned:  a "new and vibrant" urbanized district to serve as a catalyst for rejuvenating downtown.  La Villa is much more connected to the core, includes Skyway stations and is adjacent to I-95 and Brooklyn/Riverside.  If that couldn't fire up developers, what, other than a stadium and Daily's used a few times a year, is going for Lot J?  Yeah, Shad has access to capital but he isn't going to build without getting solid commitments from end users/tenants/occupants.  Would be interesting to benchmark his efforts to the District on the Southbank.  Can Jacksonville absorb both at the same time?  And still unanswered, what pollutants might be under Lot J?  What if JEA picks that site and finds construction is delayed for months to years to clean the site?  And, who pays for that?

[Lostwave]

The Lot J plan hasn't changed, you just cant see it all in those renderings.  The meeting I went to a couple of weeks ago defined the current plan as dividing lot J into about 4 equal quadrants.  They will have the office building (NW Quadrant, the one you see in these renderings), the Cordish Live! entertainment venue (NE quadrant), a hotel tower (SE quadrant), and a residential tower (SW quadrant).  The retention pond is still planned to have the parking garage as well as the roads in between the 4 quads setup to be used for events occasionally with lighting and sound.

[Jagsdrew]

Lot J is underwhelming.

Adams street location next to courthouse is the best option. Let Atkins buy the old JEA site to redevelop.

[Captain Zissou]

If anyone has spent any time at JEA, it's not exactly the work/live/play type of millenial crowd that they're going after to fill the residential component, and frequent the bars on random weeknights, and attend concerts and events at the sports complex.

You'd think that trying to lure someone like Fanatics or an outside tech company would be a better fit.

Fanatics would be the perfect company for Lot J.  Jax headquartered, sports affiliated, young and energetic company culture and CEO.  They would also be most likely to use other venues in Lot J/the stadium for corporate events.  With their planned IPO in the not too distant future, having investor day events in the US Assure clubs would be pretty cool.

Pulling a large business out of the core and placing them into a live, work, play development that they'll just be a drain on seems too Jacksonville though.  I don't see how JEA doesn't go to Lot J.

[marcuscnelson]

I'm still trying to understand why they seem to want JEA so badly. Is it just the number of workers or something else?

[Steve]

I'm still trying to understand why they seem to want JEA so badly. Is it just the number of workers or something else?

Think like a single guy who wants someone to go home with. It's closing time at the club, and an okay looking woman is also looking for someone to go home with. She's made her mind up that she's spending the night in a new bed.

Sometimes, it's what'a available.