Results of the Boom: Dead Projects

[shawnsoldit]

The liberty loft building was recently bought by a developer from Riverside. SWM builders.  He is gutting the second floor and is going to put 9 loft style apartments there.  He is leasing out the bottom space to a business...but the offices that line liberty street with all the windows...he is talking about leasing those out (cheap) as artist studios.  He is making some great headway!  I'm excited he is moving forward with this project in this market...it is great for Springfield!

[thelakelander]

Wow.  Great update.  Hopefully, it will be the catalyst needed to kick off additional loft style development in the warehouse district.

[jeh1980]

The liberty loft building was recently bought by a developer from Riverside. SWM builders.  He is gutting the second floor and is going to put 9 loft style apartments there.  He is leasing out the bottom space to a business...but the offices that line liberty street with all the windows...he is talking about leasing those out (cheap) as artist studios.  He is making some great headway!  I'm excited he is moving forward with this project in this market...it is great for Springfield!

Well, I suppose we can scratch The Liberty Lofts off the Dead Projects list  . I predict that it will say the same for others (maybe just a few). Hopefully, we may see a few high rise project get scratched off the Dead Projects list someday soon. Keep the Faith  !

[RiversideGator]

A lot of projects will come back to life when the real estate and credit markets loosen up a bit.  Right now it is very hard for even credible developers and earnest potential buyers to get loans to buy property.

[dowtown-entrepreneur]

I don't think we really know what we are asking for. Besides the traffic that has been mentioned several times, this would be a disaster if even 60% of these projects were built. Downtown Jax is already struggling to keep office occupancy high. And (dead horse alert) they are not enough lifestyle choices for downtown Jax for residents. PLUS, exactly where is this surge of population going to come from. Many are complaining that these didn't get built but who will live in these $200K+ condos and what companies will fill these several hundred offices that would have been built. Slow and steady is what we need from city officials and developers. We have to be realistic in what we expect. Final note. I heard Cameron Kuhn speak shortly before everyone knew that the market had tanked. His philosophy was a 'field of dreams.' "If you build it, they will come." Partly, yes. More, no.

[jeh1980]

Well in a lieu of all that, we should still keep the faith. Things are looking up. Honestly, I'm an optimist . I think that we can still see a select few (if not most) of these dead and indefinately delayed project come back alive. And I'm not trying to beat up a dead horse, either. lol .

[heights unknown]

I don't think we really know what we are asking for. Besides the traffic that has been mentioned several times, this would be a disaster if even 60% of these projects were built. Downtown Jax is already struggling to keep office occupancy high. And (dead horse alert) they are not enough lifestyle choices for downtown Jax for residents. PLUS, exactly where is this surge of population going to come from. Many are complaining that these didn't get built but who will live in these $200K+ condos and what companies will fill these several hundred offices that would have been built. Slow and steady is what we need from city officials and developers. We have to be realistic in what we expect. Final note. I heard Cameron Kuhn speak shortly before everyone knew that the market had tanked. His philosophy was a 'field of dreams.' "If you build it, they will come." Partly, yes. More, no.

That's why we have leaders and elected officials in our City that get paid the big bucks; to sort something like this out when it does happen!  So don't worry, if thse developments come back to life, then it is someone's job and responsibility to support the increased traffic, utilities, and other headaches associated with it.

Heights Unknown

[Seraphs]

Obviously, deeply saddened by the dead and indefinitely delayed projects.  However, The Landing project doesn't bother me so much.  I would really like to see it revitalized, but the design looks jumbled and messy to me.  I've never liked Tony Sleiman's design too much stucco, I think more glass would look better.

[fsu813]

So I was reading the latest Fall issue of "Making Moves", JTA's magazine today (don't ask me why), and I noticed something surprising.

On page 6 they have an article titled "Transit -Orientated Developments Still Moving Forward".

In it they talk about (and show renderings of) two 200 Riverside Ave projects (a Marriot brand hotel & an office building), a Laura Street project, Bay Street Station, and SkyWay changes.

The article, and players involved, make it sound like all of these are very much alive and are simply waiting for the right things to happen. Alex Coley (200 Riverside Ave) says construction on his project will begin around the first of year even!

I would link the magazine from JTA's website, but it's not posted yet (the Spring 2009 edition is the last one posted)

Anyone know more information about these?

Also, fyi, there is an article on the bus stop signage as well. And last but not least - I thought it was neat that JTA passes can be purchased at all Walgreens now...much more convenient.

[heights unknown]

I don't think we really know what we are asking for. Besides the traffic that has been mentioned several times, this would be a disaster if even 60% of these projects were built. Downtown Jax is already struggling to keep office occupancy high. And (dead horse alert) they are not enough lifestyle choices for downtown Jax for residents. PLUS, exactly where is this surge of population going to come from. Many are complaining that these didn't get built but who will live in these $200K+ condos and what companies will fill these several hundred offices that would have been built. Slow and steady is what we need from city officials and developers. We have to be realistic in what we expect. Final note. I heard Cameron Kuhn speak shortly before everyone knew that the market had tanked. His philosophy was a 'field of dreams.' "If you build it, they will come." Partly, yes. More, no.

Yeah but we want to be a part of it and/or see it all happen; we don't want to be pushing up daisies after and while it is all happening.

Heights Unknown

[fsu813]

Well, if construction is set to begin on 200 Riverside Ave like the article said.....then that's a good thing in my book. The renderings look great.

[Overstreet]

Traffic we can deal with. It is a good time to build. But where do the people come from to move into all those lofts and condos?

Once "they" complained about not having residential units downtown. Now some are built and open but empty. Two of them ran a long standing 80+ year old construciton company into the ground. If half of these were built there would be just a lot more empty residential units.  Build it and they will come doesn't always work.

[Captain Zissou]

Traffic we can deal with. It is a good time to build. But where do the people come from to move into all those lofts and condos?

Once "they" complained about not having residential units downtown. Now some are built and open but empty. Two of them ran a long standing 80+ year old construciton company into the ground. If half of these were built there would be just a lot more empty residential units.  Build it and they will come doesn't always work.

If you assume a linear growth model.  I think growth will be exponential.  Once the downtown market reaches a critical point, it will instigate a shifting of the population and fuel its own growth at a rapid pace.

SWM is the developer who built out the space for Walker's at Post & King and they have done another warehouse project in springfield.  This might be the same one, if so the name has changed since I last heard about it.

[acme54321]

Does anybody have any updates on the projects listed here as postponed?

[Captain Zissou]

Using 1000 units for Brooklyn Park, assuming 5 units per floor for everything that didn't give an exact unit number, and excluding the Ortega project, I got a total of 8,570 units in the core neighborhoods.  Assuming even just 1.5 people per unit, that's 12,855 potential new people living in or right around downtown. 

While I would say that developments like Commodore Point, The St. James, San Marco Village and The St. John wouldn't have done much for street level activity around their actual buildings, those people would shop at a downtown grocer or patronize downtown venues pretty regularly. 

I more wish that the smaller projects would have been completed.  I don't know about you guys, but i LOVE the Oak Street Lofts.