Last chance to see: the Landing is quietly coming down

[Peter Griffin]

So many apparently fail to imagine or grasp that Landing area conversion to public waterfront open space could be a superb anchor for the immediate area, " destination ".
Perhaps some would prefer residential on the property. I say public waterfront is too valuable for residential.

Jacksonville's Gracious Front Porch.......with a View!

You're right. No residential. Instead, lets put some shops for people to spend their money and go there. Also, lets make sure we have restaurants right on the water for that fine riverfront dining experience. For public space, we can create a nice big courtyard facing the river unobstructed. Might have to curve the building to maximize the site space. It'd be perfect for the Christmas tree from Hemming. Our front porch though should be iconic, something easily recognizable from far away...maybe an orange roof perhaps?

We had that structure for 30 years and it never lived up to its potential

[itsfantastic1]

So many apparently fail to imagine or grasp that Landing area conversion to public waterfront open space could be a superb anchor for the immediate area, " destination ".
Perhaps some would prefer residential on the property. I say public waterfront is too valuable for residential.

Jacksonville's Gracious Front Porch.......with a View!

You're right. No residential. Instead, lets put some shops for people to spend their money and go there. Also, lets make sure we have restaurants right on the water for that fine riverfront dining experience. For public space, we can create a nice big courtyard facing the river unobstructed. Might have to curve the building to maximize the site space. It'd be perfect for the Christmas tree from Hemming. Our front porch though should be iconic, something easily recognizable from far away...maybe an orange roof perhaps?

We had that structure for 30 years and it never lived up to its potential

My sarcastic point was that we tore it down without a plan and now we pretty much want the exact same thing, but in a different building.  The building isn't what failed. It was lack of trust between owner and city on renovations and parking, which lead to it's "failed" state. So instead, for $25 million, we get grass and no plan, just hope. Boy, imagine what $25 millions would've done to solve the parking problem or renovate some of the outdated building.

[Tacachale]

So many apparently fail to imagine or grasp that Landing area conversion to public waterfront open space could be a superb anchor for the immediate area, " destination ".
Perhaps some would prefer residential on the property. I say public waterfront is too valuable for residential.

Jacksonville's Gracious Front Porch.......with a View!

You're right. No residential. Instead, lets put some shops for people to spend their money and go there. Also, lets make sure we have restaurants right on the water for that fine riverfront dining experience. For public space, we can create a nice big courtyard facing the river unobstructed. Might have to curve the building to maximize the site space. It'd be perfect for the Christmas tree from Hemming. Our front porch though should be iconic, something easily recognizable from far away...maybe an orange roof perhaps?

[vicupstate]

So many apparently fail to imagine or grasp that Landing area conversion to public waterfront open space could be a superb anchor for the immediate area, " destination ".
Perhaps some would prefer residential on the property. I say public waterfront is too valuable for residential.

Jacksonville's Gracious Front Porch.......with a View!

You're right. No residential. Instead, lets put some shops for people to spend their money and go there. Also, lets make sure we have restaurants right on the water for that fine riverfront dining experience. For public space, we can create a nice big courtyard facing the river unobstructed. Might have to curve the building to maximize the site space. It'd be perfect for the Christmas tree from Hemming. Our front porch though should be iconic, something easily recognizable from far away...maybe an orange roof perhaps?

We had that structure for 30 years and it never lived up to its potential

My sarcastic point was that we tore it down without a plan and now we pretty much want the exact same thing, but in a different building.  The building isn't what failed. It was lack of trust between owner and city on renovations and parking, which lead to it's "failed" state. So instead, for $25 million, we get grass and no plan, just hope. Boy, imagine what $25 millions would've done to solve the parking problem or renovate some of the outdated building.

To say nothing of the fact that just $12 mm would have gotten a new project there under the Brown administration. 

[thelakelander]

^Bingo! For half the expense, the place (with additional green space) would have been completed and open by now.

[Papa33]

https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/2019/12/18/city-must-pay-37-million-to-former-jacksonville-landing-owner-judge-rules/

[thelakelander]

^We knew that was coming. Sleiman put Curry over his knees and spanked him badly with the Landing situation. Unfortunately, it simply means the taxpayers and downtown lose.

[Steve]

Man, let's do a Curry approval poll now! I'm sure it would look amazing with all that's going on.

And yea, that one was pretty obvious to see. So Sleiman got almost $19 to walk away - clearly he won that round.

[Tacachale]

We covered this back in March. The final number came out somewhat less than what it could have cost us.

https://www.thejaxsonmag.com/article/east-lot-litigation-will-add-4-million-to-landing-cost/

[I-10east]

I will preface by saying I'm Team "Jax should've kept the Landing", mainly because it had alot of significant infrastructure already in place. It seems like in quite a few cities, (not all) the festival marketplace concept hasn't held up in today's age. It seems like the festival marketplaces that are successful (like Norfolk's Waterside for instance) the focus is more on dining options moreso than retail. In any case, significant renovations are needed for a 80s-90s era festival marketplace to "Keep up with the Joneses" (and even that's not foolproof).

In the 5th most populous US city (11th largest metro) Phoenix, AZ, they have the Arizona Center. The Arizona Center looks like a giant version of the under-utilized Landing. It is basically a ghost town, right in the middle of the Valley of the Sun; entire floors are empty, and some doctors offices etc are unconventional and haphazardly scattered in some spaces. San Diego's Westfield Horton Plaza is similar. Here's a good recent video below showcasing the "jewel" in PHX, the Arizona Center.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1wio6Ewu1U

[vicupstate]

Horton Plaza is dead?  I went there in early 2000's I think and it seem quite popular.

[thelakelander]

It was fairly dead when I visited San Diego two years ago. It's a mall with the same chains that have been filing for bankruptcy nationwide. Doesn't mean the structure is obsolete. Just means that tenant mix and uses will need to evolve with the chaining retail market.

[I-10east]

I think that it very important that the Arizona Center in PHX was totally remodeled (it looks nice and modern, with award winning landscaping etc) but it still is a failure; that ROI definitely didn't add up. IMO concerning festival marketplaces, some cities have all of the stars are lined up as the scene is bustling (the Boston's and Baltimore's of the world) then you have the others that have to transform into a mom and pop marketplaces, and others in between.

IMO urban retail is the most risky (more riskier than indoor malls) for a myriad of reasons. Urban dining establishments, small specialty shops and nightlife is the way to go. Hell, even the NYC and London (in certain areas) are having problems, because of the astronomical rent prices.

The Landing shouldn't have been torn down, esp with nothing taking its place. I'm just gonna say it (it might not be popular) the only thing that is worse than the Landing being torn down, would be if the Landing had an extensive renovation, only to be the Arizona Center 2.0 (in other words, a severely under utilized property with ROI in the red).

[thelakelander]

You could renovate into a million things. Buildings don't have to be urban retail. Festival marketplaces have also been turned into urban colleges, food halls and museums.

[vicupstate]

For better or worse, the Landing is gone.  Now the city has complete control of what 12 acres?  I doubt it will be anything other than a vacant lot for some time. That said, what is the highest and best use of the property? What is most likely the most economically profitable? Does the parking lot even need to be a parking lot now that the destination it served is gone?

While we are waiting for something to happen, I do hope the city goes full spend ahead with removing the Main St. bridge on-ramp. It adds nothing to the site's value and significantly detracts from it, IMO.

BTW, any word on the Hyatt Place that was suppose to go up across Independent Drive?