EverBank Coming Downtown, Now What?

[Metro Jacksonville]

EverBank Coming Downtown, Now What?



Downtown's revitalization efforts received a major boost last week with EverBank Financial Corporation's official announcement to lease 270,000 square feet of office space in the AT&T Tower 301, which will be renamed EverBank Center.  While a conversation on what's needed next to keep the momentum going will bring up several worthy projects across the urban core, here is one opportunity directly related to the EverBank move not to be overlooked.


Full Article
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2011-dec-everbank-coming-downtown-now-what

[JeffreyS]

This really is the simplest downtown revitalization method.  Just make sure every thing is exposed and accessible. There are at least four malls in downtown but no one knows.

[tufsu1]

the ideal plan would be to open some of the spaces up to the street....but if that's too big a project just yet, then at least put up a few monument signs telling passersby what's inside....heck, even a few a-frame signs on the sidewalks would be an improvement....I saw all 3 methods emoployed quite well in Uptown (downtown) Charlotte.

[fsujax]

Hopefully DVI will get on this, but I doubt it. I will say the new owners at least lit up the outside of the building somewhat.

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

Somewhere in the mass of these threads, a question or two about the parking situation for the Everbank people has been asked.  I just hit me last night (after a glass of bourbon or three):  What are the chances that Everbank steps up and uses the Skyway?  More importantly, why hasn't JTA stepped up to the plate and made a Don Corleone offer to Everbank for using the Skyway?  You have premium, covered parking at the San Marco Station for all of the southside employees heading downtown.  There is the Convention Center lot for all of the Northside / Westside workers.  And most importantly, there is a Skyway station directly across Bay St. from the building and there's the other station at Hemming Plaza which is centralized (somewhat) around quite a few good places to eat.  No Brainer!

[thelakelander]

I believe EverBank will be using a garage a block away from the building.

[tufsu1]

they will be using multiple garages...including the city owned one on Water Street.

[fsujax]

Everbank has agreements with three differnet garages. The Water St garage, the new one constructed for the courthouse, and I think that ugly one on the corner of Forsyth and Broad. How do we know JTA didnt have discussions with Everbak about using the park and ride lots for the Skyway? From what I hear the agency did.

[thelakelander]

Just having 1,500 additional people working in that building will be a benefit to the skyway.  I've always been a proponent of JTA leasing kiosk space in some of it's skyway stations for things like newspaper/magazine stands, coffee bars, food vendors, etc.   EverBank in that location helps make Central Station a more viable location for such an idea.  Also, if the mall in EverBank Center is improved with more retailers and restaurants and better exposed, the skyway will attract additional ridership from areas like the Southbank, as those office users utilize it to access those retailers.

[Ralph W]

Isn't that garage, Metropolitan Parking Solutions, at 116 Pearl, one of those guaranteed to be supported by COJ? Most likely, giving the city's penchant for giving, parking there would b part of the incentive to move downtown.  The garage at 520 Forsyth is already owned and used by the tenants of El Ad so that's also a given.

Why would any of the new crowd of employees, wedded as most are to easy access to their cars, walk across the street, wait for a skyway car and travel to an outlying parking site? It's not likely that any parking will be free as before so the close by access will be the parking solution of choice.

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

Everbank has agreements with three differnet garages. The Water St garage, the new one constructed for the courthouse, and I think that ugly one on the corner of Forsyth and Broad. How do we know JTA didnt have discussions with Everbak about using the park and ride lots for the Skyway? From what I hear the agency did.

I don't know, just posing a question. 

If they wen't the parking garage direction, who ever led the JTA sales team should stick with driving busses.  It should have been offered pennies on the dollar for what the garages were proposing.

I have no clue how these contracts work, but assuming the commercial rate is about $50/month in a garage, I guess the wholesale rate is about 1/2 that, and if I were JTA it would have been a 4 year deal with a buyout:  free for the first year with a $10ish/mnth/emplyee increase over the next 3 years.  A guaranteed spot and an unlimited Skyway pass.  It's public transportation - it's about asses in seats.

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

Isn't that garage, Metropolitan Parking Solutions, at 116 Pearl, one of those guaranteed to be supported by COJ? Most likely, giving the city's penchant for giving, parking there would b part of the incentive to move downtown.  The garage at 520 Forsyth is already owned and used by the tenants of El Ad so that's also a given.

Why would any of the new crowd of employees, wedded as most are to easy access to their cars, walk across the street, wait for a skyway car and travel to an outlying parking site? It's not likely that any parking will be free as before so the close by access will be the parking solution of choice.

Sure, they may have space now, but the courthouse is about to open around the corner and the 7-9 & 4-6 traffic from downtown already isn't pleasant, but now you're adding another 1k-3k cars on the road at those times.

[fsujax]

i agree with you on that non-redneck westsider! JTA should have deeply undercut and made it a deal they couldn't refuse! haha

[thelakelander]

I have no clue how these contracts work, but assuming the commercial rate is about $50/month in a garage

I don't know how the deals work but everyone in my office pays $90.95/month to park in the garage at Forsyth & Julia Streets.

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

I don't know how the deals work but everyone in my office pays $90.95/month to park in the garage at Forsyth & Julia Streets.

So in the first year, there's a savings of $2.1M based on 2k employees.  The skyway sees 2000 riders per day (1/2 the employees using the service to and from) - Is it us, or is this just a no-brainer?