Redevelopment Strategies: "Niching"

[Metro Jacksonville]

Redevelopment Strategies:  "Niching"



Niching (pronounced "Nee Shing") is a powerful form of Clustering that is employed both intentionally as well as accidentally whenever one thinks of a "District".

Using the Niching Strategy creates a Community of Interests, or an area which draws people to it because of a common interest that unites the end users of that community.

It is also one of the least expensive and least risky strategies that can be employed to redevelop an abandoned or blighted area.

What is Niching, how does it work?

Lets explore these issues.

Full Article
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2009-jul-redevelopment-strategies-niching

[stephendare]

Niche Clustering is beginning to happen on 6th and Main, lets see if this can actually grow into something.

Five Points is reorienting to its traditional crowd as we shall see in the State of the Neighborhood Article next week.  Also we are printing the separate stories of how San Marco and then Five Points used the Niching Strategy to redevelop into the successes they are today.

[stephendare]

Downtown is still an untenable mess as far as niche clustering goes.  Of course Bay Street is the notable exception.

Jonathan Insetta's addition to that strip is gong to move the whole district idea into a more concrete reality.

The Landing, while it is a niched clustering development has not worked.  any clues as to why?

[hanjin1]

What else is happening at 6th and Main?

[thelakelander]

To move forward, I've always felt that you can learn from the past.  Let's not forget about some of our niching districts of the past.

Railroad Row - a collection of businesses on Bay, catering to the old terminal passengers.


Ashley Street - Also called the Harlem of the South.  This was the African-American commercial district mentioned.


Florida Avenue - Another African-American commercial, entertainment and cultural strip.


The Great White Way - Forsyth was once, Jacksonville's Theater District.


Hemming Park - Anchored by large department stores, it was the epicenter of downtown's retail district.


The Wharves - The Northbank's place for international commerce and businesses catering to the blue collar workers of the area.

[thelakelander]

The Landing, while it is a niched clustering development has not worked.  any clues as to why?

It hides the best activites and offerings it brings to the table, from the rest of downtown.  How would East Bay be at night, if you could walk down that street and never know there were bars behind the walls of those old brick buildings?

[stephendare]

These are amazing pictures Lake and really point out the power of this idea.  Its the underlying theme of most of the 'organic' development of a city.  It happens naturally for obvious reasons and as such its more likely to succeed (in other words its sustainable).

I think when we get to planning a district or talking about how to redevelop we make a mistake in concentrating too much on trying to recreate an entire city (must have laundry, must have drug store, must have place to buy electric tape) instead of creating an engine of street traffic that will make the area irresistably attractive to all those things.

If there are a metric buttload of people swarming back and forth on a sidewalk every day, then guess what?  Bobby and Shawnita are going to open a coffeestand.

[thelakelander]

^Bingo.  Regarding the Landing, I do believe, that if the courtyard were opened up to Laura and the interior spaces were reversed to face Independent, the ingrediants for a retail/dining district would be in place.

The river, Landing courtyard and existing restaurants would become an anchor.  With visible activity taking place along Independent, it would be feasible that additional complimenting retail uses would come to the bottom floors of the MODIS and Suntrust Towers, due to the additional foot traffic.

If those buildings become retail destinations in their own right, foot traffic expands from the Landing's courtyard, to Laura & Bay.  With one well placed infill project, East Bay and the Landing would then be connected with a continuous strip of activity.

[stephendare]

What else is happening at 6th and Main?

Zombie Bikes
Burro Bags (which are ideal for bikers)
The Record Shop (which carries the kind of music that is played by the DeJays at Shantytown)
Shanty Town (a walkable neighborhood bar that plays the kind of music found in the Record Shop, and caters musically to the crowd that goes to Zombie Bikes)

This is the rocksolid foundation of a Niche Cluster.  You add in peripheral parts of that cluster--

Tommy Armageddon, who also does screen printed art (as do the guys at burro bags) as well as edits Jaxscene, which just merged with Reax Magazine and covers the events that Ian (the owner of Shantytown) dejays.

Joey Marchy, who edits urbanjacksonville.info and covers the art produced by Tommy, as well as all the rest of the activities of this group.

The long awaited opening of the hookah lounge next door to the Bike Shop

And suddenly there is more than one thing to do and more than one way for this group of people to interact with the neighborhood.

There is a constant flow of traffic surrounding these businesses creating a strong visual imprint for thousands of people who drive by every day, (as evidenced in the metrojacksonville article  "Redevelopment Strategies: Visual Imprinting" http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2009-jul-redevelopment-strategies-visual-imprinting)





With very little encouragement, this could spread and network for the entire neighborhood.

[stephendare]

^Bingo.  Regarding the Landing, I do believe, that if the courtyard were opened up to Laura and the interior spaces were reversed to face Independent, the ingrediants for a retail/dining district would be in place.

The river, Landing courtyard and existing restaurants would become an anchor.  With visible activity taking place along Independent, it would be feasible that additional complimenting retail uses would come to the bottom floors of the MODIS and Suntrust Towers, due to the additional foot traffic.

If those buildings become retail destinations in their own right, foot traffic expands from the Landing's courtyard, to Laura & Bay.  With one well placed infill project, East Bay and the Landing would then be connected with a continuous strip of activity.

How would you get past the bridge ramps?

[thelakelander]

Landing Courtyard/reversed retail openings + Laura Street Streetscape + Bay/Forsyth/Adams + East Bay = no bridge ramps.

[Ocklawaha]

Wonder how much work it would take to redo the river front of the landing in "The Wharves" style? Meanwhile the Bay Street Station concept seems a take off on the historical Bay Street retail district.

SIDEBAR STORY: I had a railroad nut friend that went shopping all the old "Junk stores" across from the depot back about 1985. The depot at that time was a flea market (I think) and the stores were all second hand or pawn shops. He was walking along the sidewalk and in one of the windows was a miniature train. This was a smaller train like you would see carrying passengers around an amusement park, in other words, one could RIDE on it. He went in and paid the incredible price of $60 or $100 bucks! For that amount he got a train set worth perhaps $5,000 dollars at the time and maybe $25,000 today. Proof, you never knew what kind of treasures would turn up on West Bay St.

OCKLAWAHA

[JaxNative68]

It will be impossible to create a "niching" in Jacksonville's downtown with the city mentality of tearing down any and all old buildings, unless Jacksonville’s "niching" strategy is of vacant lots in homage to the parking of one's vehicle on an old building foundation.

[thelakelander]

Yes, its difficult to niche when half of the building stock no longer remains.  Another reason why preservation should be more of a priority in this city.

[Ocklawaha]

Lake, the first time I ever saw this done with intent was in the Los Angeles-Long Beach metroplex. Somewhere in East Long Beach a guy bought out a really big old tourist court motel. The tourist courts of the 1920's/30's were usually little cottages with a carport in between each building. Inside each cottage was the more or less standard motel design, a greatroom and a bathroom. In those days the motel's tended to build the bathrooms in a back corner, rather then the front. In this tourist court the buildings were duplex style, everything else is exactly as I have described. The guy bought it, and knocked out the center wall of each duplex, making a REALLY large great room, with a 2 bathrooms. He removed the tubs/showers and made the bathrooms handicap accessable. He then went into marketing his 10+ building tourist court to every conceivable hobby shop he could find. He had a building for Rock Collectors, Stamp and Coin Collectors, Model Trains, Model RC Planes, Model Kits, Tools, Ships, Bikes, Music, Golf, Stereos, Autos, etc... I'm telling you the most cool place I ever visited. The best part was all of the stores fed eachother. The guy visiting the train shop (me) might need a certain tool that store didn't carry, no problem just bop into the tool store. The car guys were in the radio stereo store, the bike guys in the fishing shop, the RC buffs visiting the ship and Collectors store. Every shop was independently owned and operated and the concept was more fun then a Black Oak Arkansas Concert at the Ladies Knitting Circle.



I wish the downtown library mall would look at this concept, it would be the busiest mall in town. Hey if it missed downtown, wouldn't this make a great rebuild for the old "JOE MOTEL" on Philips Highway?



OCKLAWAHA