Yupiii...more condos to Northbank

[BosTech]

News of new development seems to have died down over the last couple of months, but this is big news.

Quote from article by Alison Trinidad

Riverfront Development Group LLC of St. Augustine pitched a conceptual plan to the downtown Development Review Committee Wednesday to turn about 22 acres of grimy, industrial property into a posh marina district of restaurants, stores, offices and condos.

Construction of the project -- tentatively called St. Johns Point -- is estimated to cost $234 million.

According to the proposal, the neighborhood would include three 30-story towers with 810 condominium units; 107,000 square feet of offices; and 107,000 square feet of retail stores and restaurants spread out in a riverfront plaza. Plans also include a 150-slip marina and a parking garage.

Project 'a good catalyst' for area

**Edited by thelakelander, to comply with Urban Planet's news clippings rule**

[NoFxfan]

Project 'a good catalyst' for area

Developers praised for posh riverfront neighborhood plan

By ALISON TRINIDAD, The Times-Union

Developers this week revealed plans to build three luxury, high-rise condominium towers on the St. Johns River near Alltel Stadium, a project that city planners say could push that part of downtown "in the right direction."

 

Riverfront Development Group LLC of St. Augustine pitched a conceptual plan to the downtown Development Review Committee Wednesday to turn about 22 acres of grimy, industrial property into a posh marina district of restaurants, stores, offices and condos.

Construction of the project -- tentatively called St. Johns Point -- is estimated to cost $234 million.

According to the proposal, the neighborhood would include three 30-story towers with 810 condominium units; 107,000 square feet of offices; and 107,000 square feet of retail stores and restaurants spread out in a riverfront plaza. Plans also include a 150-slip marina and a parking garage.

It is too early to tell what type of restaurants and stores developers will attract, architects and engineers said.

The property, at 1721 Adams St., currently is occupied by machine repair and other industrial warehouses. Run-down buildings -- covered in rust and overgrown with weeds -- and unpaved roads circle their perimeter. The parcel is near areas traditionally used for parking and tailgating parties during games at the stadium. The closest downtown residential development is Berkman Plaza, about 1.3 miles west of the property.

Roland Udenze, chairman of the city Development Review Committee, lauded the developers' enthusiasm for the project.

"The neighborhood is changing," Udenze said. "I think [the project] will be a good catalyst for the area."

The committee suggested that developers reconfigure the proposed buildings on site to "open up" to the rest of the neighborhood. As first proposed, the parking garage was situated between the stadium and the residential towers, which Udenze said did not look inviting.

"The riverfront is a high-rent district. They are creating what eventually [could become] a strong destination point, however, they're cutting everybody off," he said.

Those close to the project said plans are preliminary and subject to change throughout the review process.

"We're back to the drawing board," said Mark Shelton, an engineer who is working on the project. "We want to connect this to the rest of the neighborhood -- it is part of a neighborhood. Hopefully, it'll help revitalize that area."

The development group, which has been working on the project for about a year, is negotiating to buy the property from the Alexander Brest Trust. The land is worth $8.1 million, according to the property appraiser's office. The group could not be reached for comment Thursday.

David Lawrence Architecture in West Palm Beach is designing the project, and ARCADIS/BHR in Jacksonville is doing the engineering.

The group will go before the DRC again after they revise the plans according to the suggestions the committee made.

http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stor..._19660385.shtml

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

three 30-story towers? wow, this is big news!

[vicupstate]

Finally! Some undeniably GOOD news. And it has been quiet lately regarding DT. This is a great way to end the dry spell. It really looks great. Hopefully this will raise the bar for the Shipyards as well.

[asonj23]

This is fantastic news for the Northbank! For one thing, they are great looking towers, they are being built in an area that could definitely use an upgrade, and are 30 stories!!

That is going to be a sweet view from the Mathews!

Thankfully the DRC is making them rearrange things a bit to help link this development with others in the future. I can't wait to see some final design plans and these towers start to rise. Also, I hope they will be able to entice some new retail/restaraunts to the DT.

[bobliocatt]

Its nice to read about the DRC requesting a more pedestrian friendly layout. The rendering in the paper is a lot clearer than the one on the internet, posted here. I'll going to try to scan a post it before I leave work today.

Btw, for those who don't know, the T-U shows that the site is directly east of Metropolitan Park and sits between the Hart Bridge (to the north) and the St. Johns River (south). If its correct, the shipping terminals and concrete silos on Commodore Point will remain intact.

[asonj23]

Btw, for those who don't know, the T-U shows that the site is directly east of Metropolitan Park and sits between the Hart Bridge (to the north) and the St. Johns River (south). If its correct, the shipping terminals and concrete silos on Commodore Point will remain intact.

I was thinking it was between the Mathews and the Hart, based on the Adams St. address. Anywho, between Metro Park and the Hart would be a better location.

I take back my last post and say the the view from the Hart Bridge will be fantastic!

[Captain Obvious]

This project certainly has a lot of potential. I just hope we don't have to wait until 2015 to see it!! I'll refrain from further comments on this exciting news until we actually have more info to talk about.

[bobliocatt]

Here's a better rendering.

[Dale]

Reminds me of the project called 'Arrival' slated for WPB. Like the glass accents.

[jjoshjl]

Not complaining by any measure, but it is a pretty bland design...

I am sure it is just a victim of the rendering, but it jsut looks like the strand/pen/daytona/palm beach... so on and so forth...

Just a regular Condo design...

Just my view..

That being said...

YEH!!!!

New projects for DT...

Despite my hohum with the tower design, Ill take 'em

Especially if its 3 30 storie buildings

Cheers

[bobliocatt]

I'll take them. Unlike the Strand, San Marco Place and Berkman, these have a lot more glass, as well as a simple, but interesting design at the top. They should look nice, coming across the Hart Bridge at night.

[vicupstate]

There will be more units in this project than the Shipyards. If the incentives granted (if any) are less than $230mm, it will be a better financial deal for the city too. If that is indeed the case, I offer this as evidence (along with the Toll Brothers' Southbank project) that the city gave too much to Landmar.

[RiversideGator]

I will take them too. I like the idea of building a residential base around Alltel. Make it into Jacksonville's version of Wrigleyville.

That having been said, I find the design rather uninspiring. I am not opposed to glass or modernist architecture (although I would not choose them personally), but I wish they would design them to resemble the Vancouver style of condos which I think are great. See: http://www.scit.wlv.ac.uk/~jphb/canada/pic...vancouver.1.gif

The difference is the Vancouver condos have more details and are far more interesting to the eye. So, there is a way to build interesting glass structures. However, these proposed buildings aint it. Hopefully the DRC wont allow this mediocrity and will force a redesign.

[bobliocatt]

^No thanks. We'll have that type of look with the San Marco Riverwalk towers. I like the variety that these will add to the skyline. Nevertheless, its probably way to early to be discussing the architectural style shown in the renderings. 9 times out of 10, these things will look completely different after working their way through the long line of various city agencies and departments.

[bobliocatt]

There will be more units in this project than the Shipyards.  If the incentives granted (if any) are less than $230mm, it will be a better financial deal for the city too.  If that is indeed the case, I offer this as evidence (along with the Toll Brothers' Southbank project) that the city gave too much to Landmar.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

This week's featured article in the Folio Weekly is about how the city routinely signs contracts with certain companies, instead of going through the bidding process, sometimes at the expense of the taxpayer. This would be an interesting read for you.

[vicupstate]

^No thanks.   We'll have that type of look with the San Marco Riverwalk towers.  I like the variety that these will add to the skyline.  Nevertheless, its probably way to early to be discussing the architectural style shown in the renderings.  9 times out of 10, these things will look completely different after working their way through the long line of various city agencies and departments.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Very true. Remember the original rendering for The Strand and Peninsula. The final design looked a lot different.

This week's featured article in the Folio Weekly is about how the city routinely signs contracts with certain companies, instead of going through the bidding process, sometimes at the expense of the taxpayer.  This would be an interesting read for you.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Interesting. I wish Folio had a real website. How about holding a copy for my next trip down. Thanks.

[Urban_Legend]

I'm wondering how connected to the "grid" these towers will be. Looking at that aerial photo, they seem to be trapped, with an expressway and retention pond totally separating it from everything else.

And hopefully they will work on that design some more. When I saw it, I thought: "Oh, Fidelity is building some more 'superb' towers...." lol

[wolfdawg54]

It looks good to me. They seem to be close to the Adam's Street Station and it has easy access to Martin Luther King Jr parkway and the Hart Expressway. Great news if it works out.

[prahaboheme]

Great news for JAX! I find the design rather bland also, but it's probably just an early rendering. Hopefully it will be mroe urban than the rendering suggets as well.