A couple of us met with the architect that was working on the Landing's expansion plans when Peyton's Big Idea plan hit the scene, nearly three years ago. Many of the Landing's issues, like other downtown properties, are cosmetic. As long as the actual structure is solid, there's no reason to start over from scratch unless you have a few extra million to blow.
While the exterior stucco plan was not attractive architecturally, imo, Sleiman's original plan would have been the type of place you described. The old plan was to expand the complex from 140,000 square feet to over 1.2 million square feet with additional retail space, condominiums, a hotel and an office tower. They also tossed around the idea of working with Hyatt to put up a convention center.
Landing land a point of contention
http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/121505/bus_20567982.shtmlSleiman to build convention center?
http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/081706/met_4470314.shtmlHere was the old redevelopment plan from a 2006 post I made on the old metjax site:
The Landing Redevelopment Plan

The Landing's reconfiguration and expansion would occur over 3 phases.
Phase 1 (originally planned to be completed Jan. 2005)
- Open 60ft wide corridor to connect expanded waterfront courtyard with Laura Street.
- Rebuild exterior facade with a Mediterranean-styled theme.
- Build 120 slip marina
- construct 960 space "raised" parking garage stretching on Hogan Street. Garage would include street retail and waterfront dining space and a raised open area to preserve view of the river from Water Street.
- 6 to 8 story condo/office/retail building wrapped in glass skin to allow river views.
- A boutique hotel on top of garage.
- Add at least 3 national destination chain restaurants not located in Jacksonville.
According to T-U archives, possible tenants include Cheesecake Factory, Brio Italian Grille, Barnes & Noble, Marriott, Jos.A.Bank Clothiers and S&K Menswear
Phase II (orginally scheduled for completion Jan. 2007)
- Second 960 space garage
- Second 6-8 story mixed-use building (depending on market)
Phase III (originally planned to be completed by 2010)
- 1,000 space parking garage on parking lot, east of bridge
- a 25 to 26 story, 500,000sf office tower, intended to attract a Fortune 500 company to downtown.
Naturally, phase 1 (the revitalization of The Landing as a shopping and entertainment complex) is the most important one on the list. Imho, this phase fits in with the "Big Idea" plan, instead of competing with it. It is my hope that this plan is allowed to continue, because I don't think most residents in town would be willing to see The Landing in its current state for another 50 years, if its owner is willing to invest millions to greatly enhance it now.
Here's a three year old editorial piece about the Landing by Karen Brune Mathis.
It's time to fix the Landing situation
By KAREN BRUNE MATHIS, The Times-Union
Redevelopment of The Jacksonville Landing should be a New Year's resolution for all involved, but that's the problem. More people are involving themselves just about every day.
Not being an expert on the Landing's situation, I won't advise a specific solution. Instead, I will plead that somebody in charge -- namely Mayor John Peyton and City Council -- pick a direction and take it. Resolve the Landing situation by spring, start the redevelopment by summer and celebrate concrete progress by yearend.
The Landing has languished on prime downtown Northbank riverfront property for 20 years. It never realized its potential as a retail marketplace for many reasons, among them inadequate parking.
There's not enough time, space or patience to rehash everything, but as of today, at least five factions are involved, or trying to become involved, in dictating the Landing's redevelopment.
First, there's the faction, including some council members, that doesn't want the city to sell the land under and around the Landing to developer Toney Sleiman, who bought the building three years ago from the Rouse Co. Sleiman inherited Rouse's 70-year lease on the public land. The lease allows the city to keep the property for future use and ensure public access to the riverfront.
Second, there's the faction that wants to sell the land to Sleiman, a Jacksonville native and retail strip center developer who bought the Landing for $5 million. Sleiman and the city discussed a land sale because, since the Landing opened in 1987, the city was supposed to provide adequate parking but hasn't. As a result, the Landing has not been paying rent to the city.
Sleiman and the city proposed to swap the land for the parking requirement. If that happened, Sleiman would redevelop and expand the Landing, cut a wide entrance at Laura Street to open up a riverfront view and access and put up a parking garage on a portion of Hogan Street that would be closed. Once he owned the land, he proposed a $250 million investment for three parking garages, condos, offices and more retail stores. In November, the city issued a Request for Proposals to anyone interested in buying the land. Sleiman submitted what was expected to be the only bid. Surprisingly, it wasn't.
That brings up a third faction, area architects who oppose the Hogan Street garage. A member of the outspoken Downtown Design Review Committee jumped into the fray. A group led by preservationist Trip Stanly submitted a bid, which complicated matters.
Then there's a fourth, probably related, faction, and that's the group that says the entire matter needs to be reopened and rebid. I'm guessing this faction agrees with selling the land, just not necessarily to Sleiman.
And then there's a fifth faction that might or might not want to sell the land, but in any event, doesn't want it sold to Sleiman, considered a shrewd businessman who some think would develop just another big strip center, although -- unless otherwise negotiated -- any Landing expansion would be subject to downtown design rules. Because Sleiman owns the Landing, whoever ends up owning the land would need to provide that parking. My guess is Sleiman just might run the Landing "as is" if he didn't own the land.
Peyton needs to decide, soon, what direction to take, whether that means keeping the land, rebidding the land or forging ahead with the current bids. That's because it's time for the Landing to be what it was supposed to be 20 years ago -- the focal point of a reborn downtown.
http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/010806/bum_20757704.shtml
I remember at the time, most on these forums felt that we needed to open the door when opportunity was knocking. Instead of opening the door we sealed it shut and moved the couch behind it, sending the whole thing down the drain over politics. The place should have been renovated before the 2005 Super Bowl when the economy was booming. Hopefully, if we're lucky, opportunity will come around and knock once again.