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Florida Coastal plans January move

bobliocatt

By bobliocatt
in Jacksonville

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asonj23 Hamlet

asonj23

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Why is parking downtown such an overlooked and necessary amenity? That is the one issue that is plaguing numerous DT projects (Shipyards, Landing, etc..).

As a councilman I would have done just about anything to reach an agreement on parking. Build them a garage, give them the necessary funding to incorporate it into their plans, do something! That school could have been huge for downtown and it rebirth. It would have also helped to create a true government/law district with all of the necessary supports within a few city blocks.

I can't help but wonder what other factors went into the city's negotiations with the school. Flodida Coastal may have just been way to needy.

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bobliocatt City

bobliocatt

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Parking is a very big issue, because whether we like it or not, Jacksonville is a suburban city, populated by suburbanites that believe they should be able to park near the front door of everyplace they go to (excluding the local malls). Its also a big issue, because we lack sufficient alternative transit systems, such as BRT, commuter, streetcar and light rail.

If I had any power, if parking was the deciding factor, they would have been coming downtown and a public parking garage on city owned land would have been under construction by now.

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JaxNole Whistle-Stop

JaxNole

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When I went to school in Boston, my dorm (as ugly as it was) was built on top of a large parking garage. Nothing was wrong with that. It's disappointing to see another great Downtown opportunity be lost to the Southside.

warrentowers.jpg

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Captain Obvious Hamlet

Captain Obvious

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Law students in general - and part-time law students in particular - rarely live on campus, or within walking distance of campus. Sadly, if Florida Coastal has 900 students, it will need several hundred spaces, and there's no getting around it.

Hopefully, within the next 5 or 10 years, they will find a way to move downtown. Ultimately, it will make the most sense for them to be downtown, since that's where all the courthouses are. Their students will have to drive downtown frequently anyway.

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  • 4 weeks later...
Captain Obvious Hamlet

Captain Obvious

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Although it wasn't perfectly clear, an article in the TU today mentioned that Florida Coastal is moving to 8787 Baypine Road. That is in the old Citibank office park along I-95 (access through Baymeadows Rd).

I've been there before ... It's a very beautiful campus setting. I can see why a school would be attracted to the specific building complex. However, it's really a shame about the general location. It's SO FAR away. The students will have to drive about 30+ minutes every time they have to go to the courthouse.

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nanaaapl Unincorporated Area

nanaaapl

Posted
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the problem isnt parking...

the problem is peopole dont think you should have to PAY for parking...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Its more like law school students feel that they aren't obliged(sp?) to pay money just b/c they pay more to go to school. It costs 160 a year to park at UNF. Florida Coastal should be lucky. They have valet parking and convient parking. At UNF we have 7,000 spaces for 14,000 people. Now that is a problem worth discussing.

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JaxNole Whistle-Stop

JaxNole

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At UNF we have 7,000 spaces for 14,000 people.  Now that is a problem worth discussing.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Sadly, parking and the skate park are probably the most talked about problems at UNF. This semester my classes are during the day, so I'm sure I'll have a hard time finding a spot. If UNF just restricted freshmen to the outer lots and had only a small amount of spaces allocated to them, like most other state schools, then I don't think it would be such an issue.

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thehappysmith Whistle-Stop

thehappysmith

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Florida Coastal found itself in an unenviable position and, insofar as they weren't bringing in a bunch of jobs or anything, the city couldn't bring itself to give them free land or money.

I'm applying to law schools for next year and Florida Coastal was on my list solely because I could live with my parents (dear God, would I really want to move back home at 30?). But the school is not on the best footing yet. Based on my visits there, here's my guess at what happened.

FCSoL: We need a building, and a parking garage. Do you have any?

City: Sure. What would you like?

FCSoL: We don't care, as long as it's free.

City: :rofl:

FCSoL: But, but... we only just got our accreditation in the mail last year! We have no reputation at all! We're at or near the bottom of every conceivable law school ranking! And we're too damned expensive already! We'll have trouble attracting quality students if we can't at least offer them a nice building and free parking!

City: (still giggling) Well, you could always BUILD a garage and new building. We'll even offer you this vacant lot over here free of charge.

FCSoL: We're sorry, but we don't have Harvard's endowment. You're sure you can't give us a free building and garage? We'd be happy to move into a bad neighborhood.

City: Bad neighborhood? We've got just the place. (Pulls out map of traffic-snarled sprawlopolis known as "Southside.")

That's just how I envision it. I think asonj23 was right; I can very much see the school asking for everything for free; that's about where their financial situation looks to be, at least to me (and theoretically they should be covering such things up when prospective students visit). Maybe in the future. As for me, I wouldn't want to commute across the Buckman every day, so I guess Florida Coastal goes back into the 'No' pile.

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vicupstate Metropolitan Area

vicupstate

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I'm certainly not an authority on Law Schools, but I thought their percentage of students passing the bar was rather good. Besides, I'm sure they're not getting their new Southside digs for free either.

Considering that many city officials are set on practically giving away the Haydon Burns library for a stupid chocalate factory, some free land for a law school is not so far fetched in my mind.

Considering the school is only a few years old, they seem to be doing pretty good to me.

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JaxNole Whistle-Stop

JaxNole

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I would have preferred a study to locate the campus close to UNF. The First Coast Technology Park died a miserable death, sporting a few call centers. Synergies could have developed between the undergrads and Florida Coastal. Despite being in the suburbs, campuses do require significant land and resources. In a few years, I don't think the JTB/9A-soon-to-be-295 quadrant won't be so suburban. I think the JTB corridor effectively counts as the city's second CBD. It just seems progress is slow or too piecemeal.

Why do I see the development of my hometown as so inefficient? Is it because the bureacracy is so massive? As another poster mentioned, is it because of a prevalent good ole' boy attitude? Is politics to blame? Or is it because our leaders are marginally educated?

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  • 1 month later...
Captain Obvious Hamlet

Captain Obvious

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They definitely would have been downtown eventually under their original leadership. However, the school was sold to some conglomerate about 2 years ago. I think a lot of the push to potentially move downtown came from the old management.

These new guys probably saw the sweet deals the could get in the suburbs (since the suburban office market is so bad right now) and never looked back.

However, you gotta hope that they will eventually move downtown. Being within walking/transit distance of a courthouse is a big advantage. Plus half their students probably already work/intern with firms that do business downtown.

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vicupstate Metropolitan Area

vicupstate

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Not to be negative, but the office building they purchased has enough space to fulfill their needs for decades. Unless something totally unexpected happened, I don't see them ever coming downtown. I consider it a lost opportunity.

I don't hold out much hope either, particularly in the short term. But, when their lease is up, their landlord might hike the rent significantly, if the market has recovered. Particularly if a potential new tenant want sthe entire building. Since they are leasing, there is always that chance, small as it may be.

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