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Highlighted in "Yellow", State & Union Streets serve as the un-official border between Springfield and Downtown. In the process, the pair funnel major vehicular traffic from Interstate 95/10, to the Arlington Expressway, connecting the core to the Atlantic Blvd corridor and beaches communities.
1. 70,000 daily vehicles
Demographics are very important to the attraction of big box retailers, like the Target, Office Depot’s and Walgreen’s of the world. With a total of eight lanes, the one-way pair of State & Union combined have a daily traffic count of nearly 70,000 vehicles, making it the busiest commercial thoroughfare on the Northside.
2. Central Northside location
Much has been said about the population counts of Downtown and Springfield. Specifically, the neighborhoods on their own being to small to attract a critical mass of retail. Well, think again. United we stand, divided we fall. State & Union are not only conveniently located between those two communities, they are also centrally located to serve as the premier commercial corridor for Durkeeville, LaVilla and the Eastside. With skyway access and proximity to Brooklyn and the Southbank.
The physical layout of State & Union and the inner city grid system is set up perfectly for retail that can draw both pedestrian and automobile oriented shoppers, turning what has been historically known as a divider into a uniter; bringing Downtown, Springfield, and a host of inner core neighborhoods together.
3. United We Stand, Divided We Fall
While it may be difficult to draw a major retailer using a single neighborhood’s population, that outlook may change by bringing other neighborhoods into the mix. According to the 2000 Census, the zip codes of 32206 (Springfield/Eastside), 32204 (Riverside/Brooklyn), 32209 (Durkeeville) and 32202 (Downtown/Tallyrand) combined to have a population of 72,848 residents and a density of 3,571 people per square mile. That’s a far cry from the 2,000 living in Downtown alone.
4. The Northbank’s premier East-West connector
With a traffic count of nearly 70,000 and serving as the primary conduit between I-95 and the Arlington Expressway, it doesn’t take long to realize that a large number of the drivers traveling State & Union reside outside of the inner core. With major destination uses such as FCCJ’s Downtown Campus, First Baptist Church, and Alltel Stadium, the artificial population of people in the area jumps significantly; bolstering the corridor’s potential marketability.
5. Parcel size
We must not forget that the Northbank has always been the urban, more pedestrian oriented area of sprawling Jacksonville due to its age and significant amount of development that occurred before the automobile age. With this in mind, parcel sizes on major commercial corridors, like Main Street or Kings Road, tend to be small in size, with shallow depths fronting heavy residential uses. On the other hand, urban renewal and the expressway-ization have created mega blocks between State & Union, making it easier to put together larger land deals accommodating large-scale commercial uses.
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Tracy
December 22, 2006, 10:21:32 AMLakelander,
I never even considered how combining the populations from the surrounding neighborhoods and the traffic that goes through Union/State everyday almost 24/7. It would be an excellent idea to build retail there. We have been talking for a while about the need for a residential base to support retail downtown. There is a gold mine in this area!!! Have you presented this to city officials and if so what was there response. Oh yeah and how is the new Winn Dixie project coming?
Tracy
December 22, 2006, 10:23:38 AMOh yeah and do you think that the Hogan's Creek area could be developed into something like the San Antonio riverwalk considering the combined residential base this area provides?
thelakelander
December 22, 2006, 10:35:28 AMMany Downtown and Springfield advocates believe Hogans Creek is the "glue" to bringing Springfield and Downtown together. Btw, the next article on Urban Connectivity will be about Hogans Creek and its importance to both Downtown and Springfield.
JUSTDAVE
December 23, 2006, 01:02:41 PMI believe if the new i-10 &95 interchange goes as well as planned much of the 70,000 now using those streets will go mlk instead even if it means a longer drive ON OFF TRAFFIC HOURS I ALREADY USE IT INSTEAD OF CUTTING THROUGH TOWN
all the small theatres have closed and been destroyed on the westside what about moving a theatre downtown I AM NOT SAYING IT BECOMES TINSELTOWN but it could help downtown
Steve
April 23, 2008, 01:58:27 PMTo me, FCCJ could be the key in this, if their campus was designed with an urban environment in mind.
thelakelander
April 23, 2008, 02:10:17 PMI have a master plan of the FCCJ downtown campus. I'll see if I can find it.
Beloki
April 23, 2008, 02:34:40 PMIf Hogan Creek really can turn into something like San Antonio Riverwalk......You will create a magnet for downtown development. If you focus on that and create the possibilities for the surrounding area's (no red tape, private development and city willing to sell some land/property)....
I really like this idea!
thelakelander
April 23, 2008, 04:26:08 PMHere's the FCCJ Downtown Campus master plan:
Steve
April 23, 2008, 04:44:51 PMWell, it was better than I was expecting, but not great.
thelakelander
April 23, 2008, 04:53:48 PMThe change of a few building locations can make a huge difference at street level. Shift the proposed building to the corner of State & Laura and shift JTA's proposed Laura Street Business Center to face Laura and now you have buildings with activities to visually pull pedestrians across State & Union. Shift FCCJ's proposed pedestrian plaza to front Laura and now the mid block is a place that draws pedestrians, pushing activity closer to Hogans Creek and Springfield.
Steve
April 23, 2008, 05:04:15 PMOh, and we need to explain that a corner lot facing a park is not the place in the garage for maintenance and storage equipment.
thelakelander
April 23, 2008, 05:36:20 PMThis could partially be the result of the design team that put the plan together. After all, if your hired professionals can't get it right, for the most part you're in trouble and locally most projects have been designed without any thought on how they fit and help the environment they go up in.
Btw, the entry improvements and two level addition along State Street is now under construction.
Jason
April 24, 2008, 08:52:56 AMThe good thing is that it looks like their plan allows for a possible future expansion of the skyway though the campus.
Also Lake, the building you moved could also have a mirrored copy on the north end of the circular park. Laura Street would then look great with a few small retail outlets and eateries built into the school buildings. Could also be a small money maker for the campus.
thelakelander
April 24, 2008, 09:06:14 AMMost definately. By making that area of the campus a desination spot for students, the problem with linking Downtown and Springfield by foot, will be erased. The college then becomes an urban cross-over anchor that helps stimulate more positive activity around its campus, as opposed to being in the middle of no-man's land.
Barton and the JEDC are in the midst of trying to implement a "horizontal" game plan for redevelopment. A major key to any "horizontal" plan is to make sure all new developments coming on line in the core are designed to promote that theme. FCCJ has plans to expand. IF the JEDC and DDRB take control and discuss their master plan with them, this would be a great opportunity to take advantage of "vertical" development that enhances the JEDC's mission of "horizontal" progress, at the expense of FCCJ, since they will eventually spend money to do something there anyway.
By the way, even if the college does not want to lease retail space on it's property, just as much activity can be generated by shifting something like the campus bookstore, cafeteria or library to Laura Street to front a "student commons" area.
Detroit's Wayne State University's campus bookstore is operated by Barnes & Noble, fronts a public street and is open to the public as well as the students
The campus garage next door features a small retail spot at street level, that is now occupied by a restaurant catering to the college crowd.