JACKSONVILLE | Urban and Metro Development News

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Some news briefs:

Tiffany's opens its 10th FL store and 82nd US store this past Friday at the St. Johns Town Center. It is nestled between Mayor's and Louis Vuitton.

Tiffany's Opening on Friday

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$399 million Hanjin terminal design moving forward again, finally. This is a new container terminal at the port for the Korean shipping line. The union (longshoremen) is what has been holding this up. It is expected to open in 2014 on the site of the current cruise terminal, which is being relocated.

Hanjin Terminal Moving Forward

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American Eagle adds 2 daily flights to Miami. This is on the heels of Delta adding 4 daily flights to Miami, Jetblue adding a daily flight to San Juan, PR, and Southwest adding a daily flight to Denver. Now Jax will have 11 daily flights to Miami.

American Eagle adds 2 flights to Miami

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New parking meters being installed downtown.

Finally, we are jumping on the solar powered smart meter bandwagon. These meters actually look better than those I use here in Atlanta (numbered space, walk up to very very user unfriendly terminal, get mad and ripped off).

Picture is taken by fieldafm at MetroJacksonville

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Now for the anticipated December Urban Core Construction Update:

Pictures were taken on a Sunday morning, I believe. TheLakelander at MetroJacksonville (and here) took these photos as he so graciously does every month. All credits go to him, but he is busy running that website and just being awesome, so I am filling in for him here.

Brooklyn Central Park





Duval County Courthouse (and to think what we could have had for less )









Law Offices of Farah and Farah renovations and side garden





Farah's Uptown Deli



Fresenius Medical Care San Marco



Friendship Fountain restoration





John Gorrie Middle School loft conversion









Hurricane Grill Wings and Bar in San Marco



Laura Street streetscape





Lerner Shops Building



Mojo Barbeque going in here in Avondale



Pulp Juice Bar going in here in Avondale



Radiance of San Marco, a Bikram Yoga Studio



San Marco Boulevard streetscape



Schulte Design San Marco



Main Street Car Wash in Springfield



Treaty Oak Park restoration





Wolfson's Hospital Adult Tower - 12 floors, 190 ft. going vertical



Yobe Frozen yogurt going in Avondale

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Another project in the works that was announced recently:

Originally Posted by Lakelander

The Park View Pavilion project is anticipated to get underway later this month. The project involves the partial demolition of an abandoned hotel and the restoration of one of state's first automobile dealerships (original Claude Nolan Cadillac complex) across the street. Here are a few renderings from Metro Jacksonville:


Hotel in the 1960s. Claude Nolan Cadillac can be seen behind the hotel on the left.


Abandoned Park View Inn hotel today.


Claude Nolan Cadillac in 1913.


Claude Nolan Cadillac today.


The hotel rooms will be demolished. However, the parking garage will remain and serve the new development.







When completed, the Park View Pavilion complex will include a 350 space parking garage and 60,000 square feet of retail, entertainment and residential uses.

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This just in (a week ago).

Originally Posted by Lakelander

New renderings of the Wolfson Children's Hospital/Adult tower currently under construction on the Southbank.

Wolfson's is working on getting sign approval so that the signs in the renderings can go on the side of the building. Almost a quarter million cars drive by the site every day on 95. Jacksonville, unfortunately, has a weird, comprehensive sign ordinance that also prohibits bus shelters in the city from receiving private funding by companies who want to advertise on them (thus most of our shelters are a bench and a sign instead of an attractive covered shelter with a map and an ad placed somewhere).

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Jacksonville Daily Record: Jim Bailey Out

The owner/publisher of Bailey Publishing and Communications, which prints the Financial News and Daily Record is officially out. He was my favorite candidate out of the four lead contenders. My father supported him. We are both quite upset. He wasn't able to raise as much money as three other candidate, but he did have the support of many Jacksonville business leaders. He had a strong connection to downtown and perhaps the best vision.

Rick Mullaney, Audrey Moran, and Mike Hogan remain on the Republican ticket and Alvin Brown and Glorious Johnson remain on the Democrat ticket. I am torn between Moran and Mullaney. Both of them have the best ideas for downtown and the most experience. The two Democrats stand no chance (and aren't offering up much anyway) and Mike Hogan was just endorsed by the second largest union in town (automatically disqualifies him in my book).

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Business Journal: JIA Passenger Tally Up in November

JIA passenger traffic has been catching up quickly to pre-Recession levels. Airport cargo was up 13% as well. The number of daily departures increased by 6 in the same period. 6 new flights were just announced to start service in the past month. October traffic was up as well.

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Business Journal: Old San Jose Trades Hands

A Colorado company, Condo Capital Solutions, acquired the unfinished property. Jay McGarvey will remain as lead developer in charge of the project, and a new marketing campaign and hopefully construction will resume 1st quarter of 2011.

Some pictures by me from the past year, by boat:





The development was supposed to have a multitude of low-rise (5-6-7 floor condos) and townhouses, all in an old Florida architectural style. It was an upscale development with prices starting close to a mil.

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Business Journal: Announcement Coming Dec. 23

This is good news and given our season, the Jags may be in that game

Tickets will open to Jacksonville season ticket holders first, and then the general public.

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This is actually related to Atlanta, too, and is good news for the Georgia Aquarium, Marineland, and Jacksonville metro. Jim Jacoby of Jacoby Development (Atlantic Station, Ford Plant redevelopment site) sold Marineland to Georgia Aquarium for $9.1 million. Jacoby sits on the Georgia Aquarium board. I remember when Marineland competed with SeaWorld, but now it's more of a research/conservation development and isn't much of a tourist attraction.

Georgia Aquarium Buys Marineland

[patriotizzy]

What's up with all the renovations and improvements in Jacksonville? There's a crapton going on!

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Originally Posted by patriotizzy

What's up with all the renovations and improvements in Jacksonville? There's a crapton going on!

This is what happens when a "secret" gets out, and when you have FL's most diversified economy, good weather, and a 2% annual metro growth rate. It helps that we have a good urban fabric with a lot of history and a grid street pattern. It also helps that we are attracting the "right" people moving up from S FL, moving down from NJ and Long Island, moving across from San Diego, and moving down from Atlanta. These are our biggest feeder areas. I predict that Jax will see an explosion not unlike Austin and Charlotte in the coming decade. It will be a few more years before it really starts, though.

[patriotizzy]

Originally Posted by simms3_redux

This is what happens when a "secret" gets out, and when you have FL's most diversified economy, good weather, and a 2% annual metro growth rate. It helps that we have a good urban fabric with a lot of history and a grid street pattern. It also helps that we are attracting the "right" people moving up from S FL, moving down from NJ and Long Island, moving across from San Diego, and moving down from Atlanta. These are our biggest feeder areas. I predict that Jax will see an explosion not unlike Austin and Charlotte in the coming decade. It will be a few more years before it really starts, though.

I really look forward to that. The way it looks as of now is quite impressive, including the park and streetscape renovations. It seems like they are preparing for the boom that you mention, in order to make the city that much more attractive. Will be checking this thread from now on

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Latitude 30, the city's newest entertainment complex, opened in a former Toy'R'Us across from the Avenues Mall in the Baymeadows area. The 50,000 square foot center features a Tavern/Grill with outdoor seating, a Skybox Sports Theater, AXIS Bar, a 90 seat movie theater with food and beverages available with its own grille, a Vegas style showroom called Latitude Live, and an upscale 20 lane bowling alley with leather couches and high tech bowling called Lanes at Latitude 30.

The complex is open til Midnight from Sunday-Wednesday and til 2 a.m. on other nights. It employs 130.

See photos and more information HERE.

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New runner statue on the Northbank Riverwalk. It joins a male runner statue ahead of it. The Gate River Run is a 34 year tradition, 15K (~9.3 miles) race through downtown and over two of the city's tallest bridges. I ran it once when I was in 10th grade and made a time of 59:52 .

Track Club Dedicates Running Statue

Here is a picture by "thelakelander" on MetroJacksonville - Northbank Riverwalk of the original male statue. The female statue is now located just behind it.

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The new Riverside Arts Market boat dock opened up this past week. Mayor Peyton was present and cut the rope. He arrived via River Taxi. The dock will be open on the weekends for RAM patrons, and hopefully eventually during the week for people who have hand launched craft like kayaks and canoes.

Photos by Michael Field on MetroJacksonville - RAM Docking Facility Opens.






Map is done by "thelakelander" on MetroJacksonville.

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Monthly Construction Update

I didn't do one for the past couple months because there is not enough going on. Here is March with a few from February. All photos are taken by Ennis Davis, aka thelakelander, this past Sunday. The original construction threads are here: MetroJacksonville - February Construction and MetroJacksonville - March Construction.

323 East Bay St (in the heart of Jacksonville's clubbing district)

February:


March:


February Fresenius Medical in San Marco. Blah building.


February Friendship Park:


March Friendship Park:


February Laura St streetscape:


March Laura St streetscape:




February Nest Living San Marco:


Schulte Design in San Marco:


March Olio Restaurant on Bay St:




March Brooklyn Park in Brooklyn:




March Stockton Street streetscape is beginning:


March Courthouse:




March Farah & Farah renovation:

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Continuation from above.

All photos are taken by Ennis Davis, aka thelakelander, this past Sunday. The original construction threads are here: MetroJacksonville - February Construction and MetroJacksonville - March Construction.

March John Gorrie Middle School Loft conversion:




San Marco Blvd streetscape:


Treaty Oak Park refurbishment:




Poppy Love Smoke expansion in downtown:


The new 12 floor Wolfson's Hospital Adult Tower is now rising up. It will make a huge impact on the skyline as 95 passes right by:






Mojo BBQ in Avondale:


The soon to open Pulp Smoothie in Avondale:


The recently opened Yobe in Avondale: