Balanky seeks anchor tenant for Kings Avenue Station

[acme54321]

Y'all don't think that this tower is linked with his 2018 idea/vision/proposal of a 28 story tower on the southbank with gondolas linking the southbank with the northbank. I certainly hope not; funky idea if you ask me.

This is the same developer and site.

[Snaketoz]

Y'all don't think that this tower is linked with his 2018 idea/vision/proposal of a 28 story tower on the southbank with gondolas linking the southbank with the northbank. I certainly hope not; funky idea if you ask me.

This is the same developer and site.

The view of vacant lots from the gondolas will be amazing.

[heights unknown]

LOL...maybe they should have a street car tour around downtown to the 10 best vacant lots after the gondola ride over the St. Johns River. LOLOL. I LOVE MY JAX but hate the City Government.

[Steve]

To me this is getting absurd now:

https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/article/developer-says-kings-avenue-station-building-on-southbank-could-be-40-stories

[thelakelander]

Sounds pretty conceptual to me. He'll build whatever and in whatever shape or size for anyone willing to pay to go there. Definitely don't see a need for a 40 story office tower. If I had to guess, this sounds like the more realistic path....

If a tenant isn't identified by year-end, Balanky said Chase will take "the mixed-used direction."

Balanky said he is considering a 15-story building of 360,000 square feet that would involve ground-floor retail stores topped by office space and 276 apartments. He's also looking at building additional hotel rooms.

[Steve]

Sounds pretty conceptual to me. He'll build whatever and in whatever shape or size for anyone willing to pay to go there. Definitely don't see a need for a 40 story office tower. If I had to guess, this sounds like the more realistic path....

If a tenant isn't identified by year-end, Balanky said Chase will take "the mixed-used direction."

Balanky said he is considering a 15-story building of 360,000 square feet that would involve ground-floor retail stores topped by office space and 276 apartments. He's also looking at building additional hotel rooms.

Agreed. For that amount of office space, you could probably build the place spec as the market shows retail is healthy there and the apartments would almost certanly lease with no issue assuming the pricing is aligned with the market.

[vicupstate]

I bet if a national company wanted to build a 40 story building in Palatka, there is a developer that would build it too.

[Snaketoz]

I bet if a national company wanted to build a 40 story building in Palatka, there is a developer that would build it too.

Is there a national company that would move into a 40 story building in Palatka if it were free?

[acme54321]

Where will we park for Bearded Pig?  That's the real story here.

[KenFSU]

Where will we park for Bearded Pig?  That's the real story here.

I nominate renaming the "Jacksonville Skyway" as "The Bearded Pig Express."

90% of my Skyway useage is for the express purpose of visiting the 'Pig.

---

On Balanky, the million square-foot office tower probably isn't going to happen, but if he's serious about it, I kind of love the mixed-use idea with ground-level retail, lighter office, apartment and hotel.

On a side note, I posted earlier this year about how I was a little bit worried about some softening in the downtown hotel market.

Seemed to be more of a two-month blip than a bigger trend.

Really solid numbers these last three+ months, occupancy between 78% and 90%, even with the Stones canceling and releasing a bunch of rooms back onto the market at the last minute.

[Jax-Nole]

Balanky and Cushman & Wakefield emphasized the signage opportunities at the site. Cushman & Wakefield said 56 million cars pass by annually along I-95.

They love emphasizing this point, but I guess they haven't looked at the newest numbers from FDOT that were released in April. It's up to 167,000 vehicles per day, which is about 61 million per year.

https://tdaappsprod.dot.state.fl.us/fto/

[heights unknown]

To me this is getting absurd now:

https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/article/developer-says-kings-avenue-station-building-on-southbank-could-be-40-stories

It is getting ridiculous and absurd, but yes, HEIGHTS UNKNOWN is salivating.

[bl8jaxnative]

With the current zoning could a 40 story building be built?   I'm curious since, IIRC, I-95 is the cut off for downtown.