1. I seem to recall that the Atkins Group was one of the bidders 10 years ago or so that wanted to demolish the Haydon Burns Library and replace it with a faux-St. Augustine mixed-use project.
Yes, Atkins was one of the bidders for the Haydon Burns Library to replace it with a new mixed-use development. He's also been pushing for this Laura Street Trio project for over four years, and now owns the properties.
2. Does downtown need yet another parking garage?
What Lake said, but it's been especially tricky because the Barnett Bank tower across the street (which is part of the Laura Trio package) also has no dedicated parking, nor a real place to put one without demolishing something. In the 1980s Barnett actually demolished the old Heard National Bank Building for parking, but this was later replaced by the BOA Tower. Presumably this parking garage will serve both the Trio and the Barnett, as previous proposals have suggested.
3. Is a Marriott Courtyard really a boutique hotel? Do Courtyards offer a unique personalized experience?
I'll defer to Ennis, though I have looked into a nice downtown Courtyard hotel in Detroit, which may be similar. And presumably Marriott knows what they're getting into at this point.
4. Are these buildings referred to as a trio because they are three orphans surrounded by the not-much that remains? (I believe so.) Not exactly a positive statement.
They're called that because of the unusual configuration. They've been bundled together to save them. If they weren't, it's very unlikely the Bisbee and (especially) Florida Life buildings would still be there and we'd have even more empty lots downtown.
