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bobliocatt

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I'm posting this information on both this thread and the avondale thread, since the property is pretty much on the border of riverside and downtown. Anyway, work has begun on 1661 Riverside. If you'll recall it is the developement just south of five points intended to be a mixed-use developement. Right now the hideous building that used to occupy the site is being demolished. This is very good news for riverside. The area is taking off i tell you.

And Now, i shall try to post an image

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I just got back from the Southbank planning charette. I wanted to share some of the interesting info from the meeting. (Lakelander was there, and appeared to be taking notes, so he can probably add more).

- The developers of The Strand are probably going to make phase III residential as well. No timetable was given.

- The developers of San Marco Place have their "ceremonial groundbreaking" on Friday. I assume construction is planned to start shortly thereafter.

-The developers of San Marco Place have also submitted an official proposal for that retail building in front of the Kings Av. garage. No word on a timetable, or if the project is truly going to happen.

- The developers of San Marco Riverwalk claimed that work on their new boutique hotel (which they've apparently narrowed down to two possibilities) will start work by early summer!! I think that is the triangular lot just south of where the Skyway cuts through to their property. But, they reiterated that the Radison wouldn't even be demolished until at least 2010-2012, so this is a very long term project on the whole.

- A representative from JEA confirmed that the previous RFP's by Haskell and St. Joe are dead. Neither company was willing to offer enough money for the land. Consequently in a few months (or was it weeks?) they are officially putting it up for sale. So a developer doesn't have to win a design contest, they just buy it outright. JEA was very coy about how much they wanted for the property (as there were several developers in attendence who were clearly interested) however, it was still clear that they are hoping for $30+ million. For reference, they apparently spent about $27 million just to clean up the site.

- No word whatsoever on Riverpointe. No one really seemed to mention it much at all.

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Oh yeah, and remember the site map for San Marco riverwalk? As you may remember, the plans call for the creation of one east/west street and four north/south streets ... sort of recreating the street grid.

However, apparently, two of the north/south streets will be gated , so they don't really count. But, I guess 3 new streets are better than none.

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The Southbank workshop was pretty interesting, I'll add some things that Captain failed to mention in his post.

I just got back from the Southbank planning charette. I wanted to share some of the interesting info from the meeting. (Lakelander was there, and appeared to be taking notes, so he can probably add more).

- The developers of The Strand are probably going to make phase III residential as well. No timetable was given.

Granvil Tracy, developer of The Strand mentioned that it would be 27 stories and the Peninsula would be 38 stories. He also said that the building permit for the Peninsula has been granted.

-The developers of San Marco Place have also submitted an official proposal for that retail building in front of the Kings Av. garage. No word on a timetable, or if the project is truly going to happen.

They also mentioned that "only" the railroad tracks are currently standing in the way of Publix locating in this retail center.

- The developers of San Marco Riverwalk claimed that work on their new boutique hotel (which they've apparently narrowed down to two possibilities) will start work by early summer!! I think that is the triangular lot just south of where the Skyway cuts through to their property. But, they reiterated that the Radison wouldn't even be demolished until at least 2010-2012, so this is a very long term project on the whole.

According to them, the 200 unit hotel site has been approved by two chains, so they'll get to pick which one they want. They claim construction will start on the hotel in June or July. The site is on the NE corner of Hendricks and Prudential Drive. The developers also mentioned that they're in preliminary talks with The Cheesecake Factory about them being one of three large restaurants located on the riverwalk. This is a 7 - 10 year project with 5 phases, so hopefully everything will work out as planned.

- A representative from JEA confirmed that the previous RFP's by Haskell and St. Joe are dead. Neither company was willing to offer enough money for the land. Consequently in a few months (or was it weeks?) they are officially putting it up for sale. So a developer doesn't have to win a design contest, they just buy it outright. JEA was very coy about how much they wanted for the property (as there were several developers in attendence who were clearly interested) however, it was still clear that they are hoping for $30+ million. For reference, they apparently spent about $27 million just to clean up the site.

JEA also mentioned they would sell 35 acres of the property to a developer, with 8-10 acres of that being developed into a city park. JEA would also keep 6-7 acres of the site for a chilled water station to service the new Southbank developments.

- No word whatsoever on Riverpointe. No one really seemed to mention it much at all.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

One of San Marco Place's developers mentioned that he wanted to see some form of uniform architectural guidelines for the Southbank, because he wasn't too fond of Riverpointe's scale or look. Other than that I didn't here anything concerning Riverpointe.

Other things mentioned, included information that the Hendricks Avenue streetsacpe will begin after the Super Bowl ends. The $10 million project will transform the street into a 3 lane roadway, with 7ft sidewalks on each side.

JTA also did a brief presentation on their proposed BRT system. The buses will be electronic, look pretty similar to light rail trains, a run in their own dedicated lanes. The video made the system look pretty nice. I'll see if I can dig up some photos of the new BRT system in Las Vegas, because this seemed to be pretty similar.

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Thanks for going and reporting to the forumers who couldn't make it. I'm puzzled as to why Riverpointe wasn't mentioned in-depth. I'm really hoping that projects goes through, it would bring many moderate and affordable units to downtown. Also, I can't believe they're planning on gated streets for the JEZ property. :sick:

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Thanks for going and reporting to the forumers who couldn't make it.  I'm puzzled as to why Riverpointe wasn't mentioned in-depth.  I'm really hoping that projects goes through, it would bring many moderate and affordable units to downtown.  Also, I can't believe they're planning on gated streets for the JEZ property.  :sick:

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Well the workshop was sponsered by the developers of The Strand, Peninsula, San Marco Place and The San Marco Riverwalk. These developments, have been in the works for nearly 4 years. Since they footed the bill, I really wouldn't expect to hear much about Riverpointe, which is still in its early phases. For the record, the only project they stated that was dead was the Haskell proposal for JEA's property.

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Jenkins: Southbank meeting a success

By J. Brooks Terry

Staff Writer

On Saturday, City Council member Suzanne Jenkins invited Southbank residents, advocates and property owners, to a meeting where she hoped they would give insight, offer ideas and also learn about what’s headed their way.

After four presentations and more than two hours of brainstorming at the Radisson, she said she was pleased with the results.

“After the room started warming up, things were getting interesting because people are very passionate about what they want to see happen here,” Jenkins said. “Their ideas are going to help us move in the right direction, to help us offer a creative vision.”

Those ideas included better parking, brighter lighting and more access to the St. Johns River.

“I’ve been wanting to do something like this for so long,” she said. “I really couldn’t have asked for more.”

Last week, as she was planning and promoting the workshop with non-profit group JaxPride, Jenkins she said she had hopes for a healthy turnout and, with more than 70 participants showing up, that’s exactly what she got.

Margo Dundon, president of the Museum of Science & History, was among those present. Also serving as chair of the Jacksonville and the Beaches Convention & Visitors Bureau, Dundon said she understood the importance of being informed about the Southbank’s impending transformation into a thriving residential and commercial hub.

“The perception of the Southbank has always been that it is separate from downtown, which is not true,” she said. “It is very much a part of downtown and, unlike the Northbank, much of it is still underdeveloped or not developed at all. Now that we have an idea of what’s coming, I know I want to be sure that they don’t negatively affect MOSH. We don’t want to be overlooked.”

Jenkins’ Council colleagues Art Shad and Kevin Hyde were also active and vocal at the workshop. Hyde, who will likely become Council president later this year, said was “very interested” in seeing developments downtown, the Southbank included, move forward.

“I think we have to be prepared to help downtown as much as we can,” said Hyde. “As we’re seeing now with the Super Bowl, it can be a destination place, if only temporarily. With an extra push and the right ideas, it can become much more permanent stop for years to come.”

Data collected at the meeting will presented at the JaxPride Ideas and Action Forum on April 16. It will later be made available online at www.jaxpride.org.

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^^

Mucho Kudos to Council member Suzanne Jenkins and also to Art Shad and Kevin Hyde for attending. 

What were some of the new ideas fleshed out in this session?  For those that attended, do you feel the property owners/sponsors are open to what comes out of the charette?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Considering that the vast majority of people involved in the charette were property owners/developers/govt/non-profit workers of some kind or another (I only noticed about 8-10 "regular citizens" there, including myself) I think its only real function serves as a networking event, of sorts.

In my opinion all that citizen imput is pretty much nonsense and everyone involved knows it. For example, one person complained that the new developments wouldn't have huge landscaped setbacks like Riverplace tower. An elderly gentleman was worried that it's "impossible" to park in perpendicular parking spots, and that angled parking should be mandatory in garages.

But in any event, what ultimately might matter is this April event where "they" (I assume JaxPride and councilors Jenkins and Shad) create some sort of plan/vision/presentation/whatever. This is only in the sense that a formal plan will 1) make the area seem more attractive to developers and companies if they know the government cares about the area 2) and minimize the impact of NIMBY's by saying "well, we've already had extensive citizen imput, and this has been part of our master plan for a long time now."

For my part, I hope that someone listened to me when I complained that the city needs to be planting oak trees instead of palm trees ... but who knows? :)

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Super Bowl temporary bridge completed

The Times-Union

An extension of Adams Street with a portable bridge over Hogan Creek in downtown Jacksonville is scheduled to open this week, in time for the Super Bowl.

The $360,000 project built a short two-lane extension of Adams Street behind the Maxwell House coffee plants. At Hogan Creek, the city borrowed a portable metal bridge from the state Department of Transportation to cross the narrow waterway.

Adams Street runs all the way through downtown to Interstate 95, so extending Adams Street over the creek to the sports complex is the single biggest improvement the city could make for traffic flow during events at the sports complex, said Al Kinard, chairman of logistics and operations for the Jacksonville Super Bowl Host Committee.

He said it will help, too, for other events taking place at the sports complex, ranging from concerts to ballgames.

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I hope by "temporary" they mean that it will serve as a bridge until they can build a permanent replacement ... as opposed to meaning that they are taking it down right after the game.

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I agree with Captain O, most of the information and design ideas tossed around is probably useless. Jax Pride had already come up with a list of issues, concerning the Southbank, before the workshop was held.

One guy, who recently purcahsed a unit in San Marco Place, wants someone to building some type of covering, like aluminum canopies, over all over the sidewalks, because he felt it was too hot to walk outside in Florida.

Anyway, I didn't stick around to the end, but the best thing I heard suggested, was extending the riverwalk into a narrow circular park, with concrete paths for cycling and roller blading, completely looping the Southbank. Then loading this recreational area with a mix of cultural (larger Maritime Museum, floating historical ships, pier) and commercial uses. Also, several people suggested planting shade trees instead of Palms, along city right-of-way.

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I hope by "temporary" they mean that it will serve as a bridge until they can build a permanent replacement ... as opposed to meaning that they are taking it down right after the game.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Other than the bridge, the extended roadways connecting to it, complete with concrete curbs for drainage, seem pretty permanent to me. So hopefully, this secondary crossing over Hogans Creek is here to stay.

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Well, if those comments actually get the city to follow through and plant shade trees, that alone is worth something.

I rather like the palm trees. Very familiar with the argument against them (no shade), but I think it helps us shed the South Georgia image a bit. I think the city recognizes this and thus the sproutings of palms everywhere over past few years (ramps, downtown, entrances to new developments, medians, etc...)

Just got back from West Palm Beach (first time) over the weekend (otherwise would've made the meeting) and was impressed with the nice venue at CityPlace (lots of palms there). Oh, if only we had something similar---I think it will have to be something other than the landing though.

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Super Bowl temporary bridge completed

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By DAVID BAUERLEIN

The Times-Union

An extension of Adams Street with a portable bridge over Hogan Creek in downtown Jacksonville is scheduled to open this week, in time for the Super Bowl.

The $360,000 project built a short two-lane extension of Adams Street behind the Maxwell House coffee plants. At Hogan Creek, the city borrowed a portable metal bridge from the state Department of Transportation to cross the narrow waterway.

Adams Street runs all the way through downtown to Interstate 95, so extending Adams Street over the creek to the sports complex is the single biggest improvement the city could make for traffic flow during events at the sports complex, said Al Kinard, chairman of logistics and operations for the Jacksonville Super Bowl Host Committee.

He said it will help, too, for other events taking place at the sports complex, ranging from concerts to ballgames.

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Laura Trio takes a bath

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by J. Brooks Terry

Staff Writer

Major repairs inside the Laura Trio haven’t started yet. However, its new owners say they will make the exterior shine.

Acquired by the Police and Fire Pension Fund late last year, the Bisbee, Marble Bank and Florida Life Buildings at the corner of Laura and Adams streets are slated to undergo a complete overhaul. Fund administrator John Keane isn’t sure when demolition efforts will begin but has permission to paint and pressure wash the historic buildings.

“In response to the City’s request to clean up downtown for the Super Bowl, we are doing our best to improve the look of the buildings,” Keane said.

In addition, Keane said the buildings will soon be illuminated at night.

“Despite all the deterioration that has taken place inside, they are still among the most beautiful buildings downtown,” he said. “We should be showcasing them the way they were intended.”

Still undetermined is when work will begin to enclose a shattered skylight in the Marble Bank — once the headquarters of the Florida National Bank, which now is part of Wachovia after several mergers and acquisitions.

The Fund applied for a permit Jan. 3, but is still waiting on City approval. “We’re waiting, but we should have it soon,” he said.

The Fund has paid for all work that has taken place so far. However, in August Keane said he would likely apply for a Historic Trust Fund Grant to help complete the project.

“We’ve paid for everything out of our pocket,” Keane said, “but other parties who have attempted to renovate the buildings have had the City’s help.”

If possible, the Fund will renovate the buildings for mixed-residential use. Originally, Signet Development was charged with transforming the buildings into an office complex but after months of little to no work, Mayor John Peyton halted those plans, saying downtown’s need for more office space had dwindled and that the City wanted to take the buildings in a different direction.

This is a perfect example of how this big game brings little improvements like this. I'd like to see a big "Coming Soon" sign mounted on that blank wall, showing everyone a rendering of what is to come for our dear trio. And BTW, I like those banners in that pic!

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Jacksonville: New Riverwalk on Northbank opens to raves

By JORDAN RODACK

The Times-Union

Jim Bush says he hasn't been to lunch at The Jacksonville Landing in the past four or five years, despite working less than a mile from the downtown mall.

Walking from the Haskell Co. building in Riverside wasn't an option for him, and driving didn't make sense, he said.

"If I'm going to drive somewhere for lunch, it's going to be someplace farther away from work," the Fernandina Beach resident said.

On Friday, however, Bush and co-worker Rick Schffler took a lunchtime stroll toward the Landing via the Northbank Riverwalk expansion that extends from the Fuller Warren Bridge overpass to the Acosta Bridge. The walkway opened to foot traffic early last week.

"It's a great and wonderful asset to the city," Bush said. "I just wish it would have opened up sooner."

The scenic path almost missed a chance to welcome 100,000 or so visitors for the Super Bowl.

As late as last month, city officials said portions of the Riverwalk would be finished in time for the game, just not the portion that connects Riverside to downtown. That extension cost $6.2 million as part of the Better Jacksonville Plan.

Last week, joggers, bicyclists and walkers explored the new brick and concrete sidewalk, which rises over railroad tracks near the CSX and Times-Union buildings but passes under the Acosta Bridge. Finishing touches like landscaping are still being made, and Mayor John Peyton said the official ribbon cutting to mark the opening will be sometime this week.

"The Super Bowl creates a nice deadline for any capital project," Peyton said.

There is no time frame to complete the full 3.25-mile walkway, which when finished will run all the way to Metropolitan Park. Legal issues with The Shipyards property downtown have kept work on that portion at a standstill, said Susie Wiles, a top Peyton aide.

Still, many on Friday were just happy to see the new portion open and ready for use.

Peter Trolle, who works at CSX, said he's waited a long time to see the riverwalk completed in front of his building.

"It's just fantastic," Trolle said. "The exposure to the river and the way it looks is just incredible."

jordan.rodackjacksonville.com, (904) 359-4401

This story can be found on Jacksonville.com at http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stor..._17765444.shtml.

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Lunchtime walkers zigzag along the portion of the new Northbank Riverwalk that runs beneath the Acosta Bridge

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Youngsters from the preschool at the Claude Yates YMCA on Riverside Avenue have a new place to take their morning walk.

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Bicycle racks allow cyclists to park and lock their wheels at various points along the Northbank Riverwalk, which opened last week.

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