JEA headquarters to shrink

[heights unknown]

Interesting to compare the two pictures and see how chopping two floors off looks.





Could be better, but it could certainly be a lot worse. Sorry HeightsUnknown.

If this is the market rate price for a full prime downtown block, demolishing the existing JEA Tower does not make financial sense. It would take a lot more than $2.6 million to demolish a structure that large. City Hall Annex and the Old County Courthouse were smaller and they cost $8 million to raze.

Whoever said demolition had to make financial sense in Jacksonville?

Speaking of the Annex and Courthouse, I wonder how that Spandrel project is going. Hopefully they and the Hyatt figure out a solution for some kind of exhibition space, open up Union Terminal for redevelopment. Would be nice to sell off the terminal to Virgin and get a sweet TOD setup in LaVilla.

I know; but don't be sorry...this is Jax so what do you expect? Why don't they just make it one story...that'll make everyone happy.

[jaxlongtimer]

The shorter, value engineered version looks worse. The design has elements that look better on a taller structure. Overall it is too little density on a prime CBD site. In any other major Florida city that garage is integrated into the structure and not side by side. But whatever.

Lake, agree.  Looks like a giant stepped on the building and squished it down  !  The angles from the roof down emulate the impression of that giant's footprint.

[Steve]

Work on JEA's next headquarters to begin by next week

https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/article/work-on-jeas-next-headquarters-to-begin-by-next-week

[marcuscnelson]

What a ride. Remember when we were worried it was going to be Lot J?

[thelakelander]

A wild ride resulting with a federal investigation and more firings of senior level staff. Go figure!

https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/article/jea-fires-nine-former-senior-leadership-team-members-without-cause

Best part is that it isn't over. Investigation results aside, they still have to find a DT space for the 40k square feet they value engineered out of this building and there will likely be a debate over what happens with the existing historic structure.

[Ken_FSU]

Construction fencing and new HQ signage up.

Crews on site and work appears underway.

[Ken_FSU]

[heights unknown]

Will probably be too short in height for cranes yes?

[thelakelander]

I'd assume this one will have a crane, given the construction type.

[bl8jaxnative]

Would be nice to sell off the terminal to Virgin and get a sweet TOD setup in LaVilla.
[/quote]


Short of some new legal uber twist, Virgin's been 86'd.   Brightline's given them the Heisman.

[marcuscnelson]

Right. After further consideration on top of that, the better comment is:

Would be nice to do a P3 for the terminal with Brightline and Amtrak to get a sweet TOD setup in LaVilla. That parking lot is ripe for development.

[itsfantastic1]

Right. After further consideration on top of that, the better comment is:

Would be nice to do a P3 for the terminal with Brightline and Amtrak to get a sweet TOD setup in LaVilla. That parking lot is ripe for development.

Let's not forget commuter rail! Wasn't some survey given to the south line in St. John's county a few years ago? Wonder what is going on with that?

[thelakelander]

JTA has talked about commuter rail for 20 years now. It's not a priority like the U2C, which popped up from scratch a few years back. Nevertheless, as much as I am a proponent of fixed transit's ability to assist with TOD, I'm not even sure you want JTA running commuter rail if you want that rail project to be successful and viable long term. Any talk of commuter rail on the FEC would make more sense if it followed a potential Jax expansion of Brightline. In the event that happened and included a station in St. Augustine/St. Johns County, one could question if commuter rail along that corridor would be a viable need at all.

[marcuscnelson]

Let's not forget commuter rail! Wasn't some survey given to the south line in St. John's county a few years ago? Wonder what is going on with that?

I totally agree! I was just talking about the terminal specifically.

JTA has talked about commuter rail for 20 years now. It's not a priority like the U2C, which popped up from scratch a few years back. Nevertheless, as much as I am a proponent of fixed transit's ability to assist with TOD, I'm not even sure you want JTA running commuter rail if you want that rail project to be successful and viable long term. Any talk of commuter rail on the FEC would make more sense if it followed a potential Jax expansion of Brightline. In the event that happened and included a station in St. Augustine/St. Johns County, one could question if commuter rail along that corridor would be a viable need at all.

Seems JTA has their hands full, irrespective of how well they're handling it. Brightline looks to be getting into the commuter rail business with Coastal Link from Aventura down to MiamiCentral. It might be worth noting that both Tri-Rail and SunRail are operated by other companies, not state-established agencies; although the Sounder out west is operated on behalf of a public transit agency.

It'd certainly make sense to at least put an RFP out for a St. Augustine-Downtown line, especially if it connects to places like Palencia, Nocatee/Twin Creeks, and Durbin Park/Race Track (the last plans hit 2/3 of those). Right now the word is that Ponte Vedra Beach and Nocatee want a new road going north from Nocatee to connect with SR-9B. Providing a less expansive and sprawl-inducing option would be a good idea.

[thelakelander]

FDOT owns SunRail with Bombardier operating it. The area it serves is significantly larger and denser than anything along the FEC between St. Augustine and Downtown. It's a 61 mile long system and it barely averages more daily ridership than the Skyway did pre-COVID and JRTC construction. Palencia, Nocatee, CR 210, etc. would need to pack in some real density around the FEC to create the conditions for a viable commuter rail line to work. To date, despite 20 years of talk, no one in Jax or St. Johns has modified the land use to allow for the incremental growth of the type of density to support commuter rail.

You can't put out a RFP for a St. Augustine-Downtown line without money or the rights/agreement to run something on the FEC. If applying for federal and state assistance, you'll need years of studies and time to compete nationally with more worthwhile projects also fighting for that limited funding. It's not event a priority of JTA at this point, so whenever it does become one, you can start the clock over because everything they've said and done in the past would be out-of-date.

I think for it to truly be viable along the FEC in the long term, things will need to implemented incrementally to take advantage of infrastructure improvements that could possibly be funded by other entities. For example, if Amtrak ran down the FEC, you'd likely end up with stations in Downtown Jacksonville and St. Augustine, along with some track improvements along the corridor. That would give the entire FEC the ability to potentially have a corridor service similar to what Amtrak runs with hourly trains between LA and San Diego. Brightline could do the same thing and Brightline already has rights to operate passenger services into Jax. Anything that gets you hourly service is more than adequate for the low density in that corridor. If locals are willing to push denser, mixed-use development around the walkshed of potential station sites, you could come back later with a more traditional commuter rail type system along the corridor. Nevertheless, with the COVID thing right now, none of this is happening.

So for JTA, the most realistic and best thing for dreams of local commuter rail that they can do now, is get the Amtrak station back downtown, across the street from the JRTC in LaVilla.