Downtown Jacksonville mega-projects Shipyards and District in limbo

[thelakelander]

{cough} New Orleans {cough}

[heights unknown]

Where the St. Johns River flows through downtown Jacksonville, the barren land known as The Shipyards on the Northbank and the grass-covered tract called The District on the Southbank face each other in mirror images of proposed mega-developments that have yet to break ground after years of trying.

In June, the clock ran out on Jaguars owner Shad Khan's right to negotiate a redevelopment agreement for The Shipyards and Metropolitan Park, the long swath of Northbank riverfront where Khan's plan in 2017 called for condominiums, apartments, hotels, stores, restaurants and marina docks along 70 acres.

Time is running down as well for The District on the Southbank.

Full article: https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/local/2020/08/26/downtown-jacksonville-mega-projects-struggle-get-off-ground/5631345002/

This doesn't surprise me. By the way......."when is something going to start at the District?" (LOL)

[heights unknown]

{cough} New Orleans {cough}

LOLOL.

[Papa33]

This was a quote from a TU Editorial on Downtown Development.  Me thinks its quite telling, if true:

But what is really needed is a master plan for downtown parks. The DIA has such a plan but it had not included the Shipyards and Lot J areas because they appeared to have their own plans.

[thelakelander]

There needs to be a master plan for downtown, not just parks. The CRA Plan is not the same as a real master plan. There's no rhyme or reason, resulting in a Frankenstein set of parts. An actual vision will help guide the development community and public investment.

[marcuscnelson]

There needs to be a master plan for downtown, not just parks. The CRA Plan is not the same as a real master plan. There's no rhyme or reason, resulting in a Frankenstein set of parts. An actual vision will help guide the development community and public investment.

Trying to jog my memory again, was this under Peyton (I think I recall you saying it was really Delaney's) the last time we had a downtown master plan?

https://groundworkjacksonville.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/1-jacksonville-master-plansmall-copy.pdf

[thelakelander]

^This was the master plan done during the Delaney administration. Basically, Peyton put his face on it. Winn-Dixie building a new store at Jefferson and Union (see LaVilla map on page 22) died before Peyton was elected. Winn-Dixie decided not to build that store in 2000:

Winn-Dixie pulls LaVilla project

By Devan Stuart
Nov 2, 2000, 4:38pm EST Updated Nov 2, 2000, 4:38pm EST
Winn-Dixie has nixed plans to build a new grocery store in LaVilla, opting to renovate its Market Street location instead.

Winn-Dixie officials chose to stay on Market Street because it is closer to residential projects, including Berkman Plaza, the Parks at Cathedral and several proposed projects, said Mike Weinstein, executive director of the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission.

Staying put will place the store closer to a potentially larger customer base.

The Downtown Development Authority approved the LaVilla Winn-Dixie project in December 1998. Incentives included the sale of the property to Winn-Dixie for $594,048 and a 20-year development grant equal to 50 percent of new municipal and county property taxes from the project from 1999 to 2018.

The project would have been bounded by Davis, Union, Jefferson and Beaver streets across from the Ritz Theatre.

Full article: https://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/stories/2000/10/30/daily16.html

It's pre-Sax Seafood debacle. They didn't even bother to update the information from this late 1990s document.

[marcuscnelson]

Yikes.

Given we obviously won't get a Downtown Master Plan until at least 2023, how do you think a future City Hall would or should go about putting one together?

[thelakelander]

There should be inclusive public engagement from the start and a major focus should be on the future of public spaces and catalytic public sites......parks, streets, mass transit, public education, cultural destinations, etc. So if we're going to do a convention center, a site should be selected and a timeline and funding to actually do it, should be determined. Same goes for fixing up Hemming Plaza, the Landing site, bringing Amtrak back downtown, etc. If a vision is to have retail oriented streets, it would good to identify them and align design guidelines and zoning to guide incremental development to this specific outcome. This provides a real road map for the public and private sector to make the long term vision a coordinated reality.

[jaxlongtimer]

Maybe the District is getting a second wind with a bail out?

https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/local/2020/09/04/preston-hollow-capital-steps-into-developer-role-district/5719501002/

https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/article/preston-hollow-capital-taking-control-of-the-district-development

[thelakelander]

We'll see. This project has gone on for so long, I've forgotten the timeline. What is it for buildings actually coming out of the ground?

[Charles Hunter]

Vertical construction not mentioned in JDR story, just horizontal contruction - Prudential Drive, DCPS Parking Lot, Riverwalk extension, and other infrastructure.

[jaxlongtimer]

We'll see. This project has gone on for so long, I've forgotten the timeline. What is it for buildings actually coming out of the ground?

Didn't see a timeline in the articles except for the infrastructure bonds.  It appears they have to be issued by October 1st.  I would think they would at least start on infrastructure immediately as they will be paying interest every day on $31.1 million in bonds at that point.  I figure even at 1% interest, that comes out to about $1,000/day roughly.  Add the costs on their sunk $20+ million already.

One article states Rummell and Munz have been playing with this since 2014.

[thelakelander]

Wake me up when vertical construction begins.

[Ken_FSU]

I've forgotten the timeline. What is it for buildings actually coming out of the ground?

There isn't one that I know of.

Only timeline is for horizontal infrastructure (water and sewer utilities, roads, streetscape) and public amenities (the riverfront park(s) and trails). These have to be completed by end of 2023.

But if Preston Hollow does purchase the $31 million in bonds necessary to fund horizontal construction and infrastructure improvements, the only way they can recoup that money from the city is through tax credits on completed vertical construction.

If we see the bonds closed on, I think that's a pretty positive thing for the site. At the very least, it will transform the site into something development ready and light a fire under Preston Hollow's ass to build something so they can recoup the infrastructure costs (and up to $56 million in other tax abatements).