Southside Construction Update - May 2015

[Metro Jacksonville]

Southside Construction Update - May 2015



A brief look at the status of various projects under construction in and around Jacksonville's Edge City, the Southside, during Spring 2015.

Read More: http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2015-may-southside-construction-update-may-2015

[Noone]

Nice update.

[WarDamJagFan]

So..   many ...  apartments

[thelakelander]

^It's really interesting how locally, we believe the 600 apartments going up in Brooklyn is some sort of major boom. In reality, there are some individual developments along the JTB corridor putting up more units than everything in Brooklyn combined. Kind of goes to show how starved we've been for the type of housing in and around DT that peer communities have been seeing mushroom in their urban cores for 15 to 20 years now.

[David]

I can see why there's so many apartments over there. Seems like a glut but...the Southside is usually the transplant's first stop in town. They come to Jax and want to be close to the beach. And if they stick around, they usually fan out to the more established neighborhoods. Fairly convenient area too. 

[jcjohnpaint]

exactly what we did. 

[thelakelander]

I did the same after unsuccessfully finding something in or near DT. If 220 Riverside or Brooklyn Riverside would have been around a decade ago, I might have ended up in one of them.

[simms3]

I think far more people end up on the SS/Beach and stay on the SS/Beach.  Anecdotally, at least from people I know, most end up closer to the beach.  It's a real competitive pull away from DT/Urban Core.

The same thing goes for a city like Miami though.  Miami kinda sucks and all the action is around the beach.  Its downtown is also blessedly close to the beach as opposed to inland.

Nobody comes to FL to live in a traditionally urban environment, and there will likely never be a traditionally urban environment despite efforts.  If I ever moved back, it would be to the beach, with maybe a downtown/San Marco/Riverside crash pad.

[tufsu1]

I think far more people end up on the SS/Beach and stay on the SS/Beach.  Anecdotally, at least from people I know, most end up closer to the beach.  It's a real competitive pull away from DT/Urban Core.

The same thing goes for a city like Miami though.  Miami kinda sucks and all the action is around the beach.  Its downtown is also blessedly close to the beach as opposed to inland.

Nobody comes to FL to live in a traditionally urban environment, and there will likely never be a traditionally urban environment despite efforts.  If I ever moved back, it would be to the beach, with maybe a downtown/San Marco/Riverside crash pad.

I think you are a bit outdated.  While the beach communities were real hot 5 years ago, Riverside is where many young people want to live now.

Also, there are plenty of people moving top FL and looking for a traditional urban environment....the neighborhoods surrounding the downtowns of Orlando, Tampa, and to a lesser extent Jacksonville show that.

[simms3]

^^^Well given that I grew up in the area, I do know a lot of people my age there.  Most of my friends seem to prefer the beach lifestyle.  Maybe my personal social network is an anomaly.

Also, while I commend Orlando and Tampa, and even Jax for developing their cores/greater downtown areas, relatively speaking, the fact remains that no city in FL offers a true urban lifestyle, and it is likely that outside of micro-areas of Miami/Miami Beach, no city really will.  I know relatively few people who move to FL from other cities/states, it just isn't common in my social group, but those that do all seem to migrate to the beachy areas, (particularly in S FL/Miami Beach).

Also note that Orlando doesn't have a beach as competition to its downtown, and that as far as waterfront goes, its downtown has lakes.  Tampa is likely a better comparison.  And there is a slightly different setup there - Pinellas, where the beaches are, is not the job center of the region for professionals.  Inland Hillsborough County is, and traffic/time to get to/from beach in Tampa Bay is substantially more than in Jax (maybe by a factor of at least 2-3x?).  That makes "living at the beach" and working a white collar job in Tampa/Westshore/suburban Tampa less attainable in Tampa Bay than it is in Jax, where the majority of such jobs are a 10-15 minute drive in from the beach.

And take my perspective or leave it, but if I moved back to Jax, it will have been after living in several large cities/urban environments.  I won't be moving to Jax/FL for a small dose of "urbanity" but I could see myself moving to an environment I've never lived in/never had the opportunity to - the beach.

Note that LA actually has a similar dynamic - aside from Pasadena and a few other intown areas that for the most part have kept DTLA going, by far most of the desirable communities are at the beach.  Having a bunch of friends down there (and I'll be down there this weekend), I could see myself living in Venice or Santa Monica, easily.  So long as I work nearby or at furthest, in Westwood/Brentwood/Century City/Playa Vista.  Which is why most of the professional jobs in LA are actually among these areas, not so much DTLA.  DTLA is making a huge comeback, but it's at the center of a region of 18 million people and has a lot more to work with than DT Jax.  Even so, it's been a struggle there too.

[WarDamJagFan]

While I agree there are more people my age wanting to and currently living in the Riverside / Avondale area, the beaches still dominate as the overall desired place to live. But I am one of the thousands of people living in the apartment / business park jungle that is the Southside, and the convenience is truly tough to beat. 5 minute drive to work. 10 minute drive to the beach. 15 -20 minute drive to Riverside. Traffic is only bad for an hour in the morning and hour in the afternoon. Soon to be in Tapestry park, I am a bit excited about being able to walk to 3 Forks, Corner Bistro, Tinseltown, Starbucks, and a whole host of other options.

[Tacachale]

As loathe as I am to agree with Simms , it's hard to argue that the Beaches are about the biggest draw in town, especially for young people. That said, they've gotten very expensive to live in. You can get nicer places for less money off the island. Right now, they appeal particularly to young people renting, and somewhat older folks with a good bit of money. This is one reason the "Intracoastal West" area is blowing up, and, to an extent, the Southside.

I expect young professionals move to the Southside mainly because that's where a good chunk of the offices that employ them are located, and because other young professionals are doing it. That's definitely the case among people I know.

That isn't to say "Greater Riverside" isn't also strong among younger people. Definitely there'll be social network selection bias. I grew up at the Beach, and while most of my family still lives there, as many or more friends my age are now elsewhere, particularly the urban core if they're still in town. It's different from the place we grew up but with a lot of the same good sides as the Beaches: the neighborhood feel and culture, walkability, easy access to bars and restaurants.

[David]

I tried the beaches out too. I wanted to have an ocean view and was single, so I found a dumpy 500 sq ft apartment for 800 a month behind Joe's crab shack. Living on the beach is probably something every young citizen of Duval should do, if only for a little while.  (Maybe in a quieter location though)

The major downside for me was I was already established with my social ties back in town so I wound up spending way too much time on JTB driving back in. Couldn't get into the "why cross the ditch?" mentality out there.

Southside is great for "sampling" Jacksonville if you will.

[ProjectMaximus]

I know about 6 young professionals who have moved to the urban core from the beaches and 2 that did the opposite in about the past two years. And one who went from riverside to the beach and now back in Riverside. But there's definitely enough movement that I think we could all argue this either way. One thing there's no doubt about is the beaches are booming with construction. Only rivaled perhaps by the town center area.

[thelakelander]

The way I see it, the beaches have be possibility to be fairly urban in their own right. We should celebrate the fact that our landscape is blessed to have a major river and ocean access. The more urban nodes in the region, the better, IMO.