North Point Town Center to bring new look to Northwest Jacksonville

[thelakelander]

By David Bauerlein
The $3.5 million building that will rise up from an abandoned piece of property at the junction of Moncrief Road and Myrtle Avenue won’t look anything like the surrounding northwest Jacksonville neighborhood.

That’s by design, said Paul Tutwiler, executive director of the Northwest Jacksonville Community Development Corp.

“It’s essential that we take a community built in the 1930s and 1940s into the 21st century, which is where we should be,” Tutwiler said Wednesday.

Tutwiler was joined Wednesday by Mayor John Peyton, Sheriff John Rutherford and City Council member E. Denise Lee for a “retail revitalization” ceremony touting upcoming construction of the North Point Town Center. He said the two-story, 10,600-square-foot building should be finished by the end of next summer.

The community development corporation, a nonprofit group that focuses on neighborhood turnaround, is taking on its first commercial development project after building 67 new homes in an area in which residents suffer high levels of unemployment. Over the years, commercial and retail activity has exited the neighborhood. But with new rooftops in place, Tutwiler said it’s time to focus on bringing back retail.

The city is giving financial assistance by using the Northwest Jacksonville Economic Development Fund. The city will loan $527,579 to the project and provide a $351,719 grant.

Other funding sources for the project are the Florida Community Loan Fund, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development grants, the nonprofit group LISC Jacksonville, a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency program for brownfield redevelopment, and Wachovia, a Wells Fargo company.

full article: http://jacksonville.com/business/2010-11-17/story/north-point-town-center-bring-new-look-northwest-jacksonville

[uptowngirl]

I am happy for the neighborhood, they need this as does a lot of the NE and NW neighborhoods. I find it interesting that a neighborhood like Springfield cannot do something like this, they have more than "67 new rooftops" and a pretty strong base based on employment figures and household incomes, yet can't get anything opened up :-(

[Miss Fixit]

There is no reason this couldn't be done in Springfield, except perhaps that the city and LISC are less likely to provide economic incentives.  Springfield is in the SAME Enterprise Zone, Empowerment Zone, and Brownfields area as are Northwest and East Jacksonville.

[tufsu1]

well let's see...the Springfield area just had Main Street and 8th Street reconstructed, 3rd & Main built, renovations to Darnell Cookman, and a new VA clinic coming in....seems like projects are hapening there!

[Keith-N-Jax]

Wow That does look very nice. Unlike Jacksonville to do something like this. Nice!!!!

[thelakelander]

There is no reason this couldn't be done in Springfield, except perhaps that the city and LISC are less likely to provide economic incentives.  Springfield is in the SAME Enterprise Zone, Empowerment Zone, and Brownfields area as are Northwest and East Jacksonville.

^It can be done in Springfield.  However, it will be more financially challenging since property on Springfield's main corridors tend to be more expensive than similar properties in Moncrief.  It will also be more time consuming because of the extra layers of government and politics one would have to deal with.  The key is making the numbers work and finding someone to take on the risk of doing it.

[Coolyfett]

I am happy for the neighborhood, they need this as does a lot of the NE and NW neighborhoods. I find it interesting that a neighborhood like Springfield cannot do something like this, they have more than "67 new rooftops" and a pretty strong base based on employment figures and household incomes, yet can't get anything opened up :-(

Northside getting some Newness? I like the idea. I hope it changes the attitude of the people that live in the area...That Myrtle Moncreif X has potential in my opinion. I say buy up more property tre it down & GENTRIFY baby!! Clean that hood up. I like it.

[Coolyfett]

well let's see...the Springfield area just had Main Street and 8th Street reconstructed, 3rd & Main built, renovations to Darnell Cookman, and a new VA clinic coming in....seems like projects are hapening there!

Yes you are right, but you have to respect the aggressiveness of the Uptowners. I do. You should see how people bash Springfield as a ghetto wasteland on City-Data.com....people are still not aware of the many changes going on out there.

[duvaldude08]

This is great news! NW Jacksonville has been in despair for a very long time now. Hopefully his project brings a whole new POSITIVE energy to the area. Hopefully this will spur other face lifts in the area to atleast make it attractive.

[dougskiles]

I talked to Paul Tutwiler today about the project.  The building permit was approved today.  Vertical construction should start soon.

I've been fortunate to know and work with Paul for 5 years.  He has great vision and determination to improve the NW Jacksonville area.  He is always on the lookout for development projects, so it got me thinking about what opportunities there might be for him to do a TOD in NW Jacksonville - preferably one involving rail (light or conventional or Skyway) and not just BRT.  Any ideas, Ock, that we could share with him?

Here's another rendering of what his North Point project will look like:

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

Corrine Delivers, baby!

[thelakelander]

He is always on the lookout for development projects, so it got me thinking about what opportunities there might be for him to do a TOD in NW Jacksonville - preferably one involving rail (light or conventional or Skyway) and not just BRT.

BRT doesn't have a strong history in this country for spurring TOD.  However, the Northside is prime for TOD opportunities along the S-Line corridor for commuter rail.  This corridor runs from just west of the Prime Osborn to Gateway Mall.  TOD opportunities include the warehouse district/farmers market area along Beaver, Kings Road near EWC, Shands Jacksonville, Springfield warehouse district, Main Street, 21st Street and the Gateway Mall area.  After a few years of hitting JTA over the head with this city-owned rail ROW, they finally incorporated it into the commuter rail plans.  A starter segment (Prime Osborn to Zoo Parkway) is also included in the 2030 Mobility Plan's first CIE.

Key:

Red Line - proposed BRT route through the Northside (this route has since been abandoned by JTA after catching MJ heat)

Green Line - S-Line right-of-way through the Northside

Blue/White Line - Skyway route through downtown

A common element with station spacing in all forms of mass transit, is the 1/4 mile rule.  All areas within a quarter mile of a transit stop (regardless of the form of transit) typically represent the highest probability of walk up ridership.  It's critical that stations are located within close proximity to major places of employment and dense residential bases.

Red circle - represents the 1/4 radius for stations planned along BRT's I-95 line.

Green circle - represents potential station locations along the S-Line.

Light Blue - Transit Oriented Developments were an afterthought in the planning of BRT's north corridor.  However, the S-Line's path would take transit in areas ripe for large scale transit oriented and adjacent developments, which in turn help increase ridership and bring economic stability to the neighborhoods surrounding them.

more detail on sites shown on image: http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2007-feb-move-over-billion-dollar-bus-its-s-line-time

[dougskiles]

Thanks.  I will share this with Paul the next time I see him.  I believe his area is a little farther north and west, however.

Is there any progress being made with the 'S' line for passenger rail?  I assume this would be 'commuter' rail?  Is it part of the Mobility Plan?

[thelakelander]

Yes, the S-Line is a part of the north commuter rail corridor and is included in the mobility plan as a priority project in the initial 10-year CIE.

What are Paul's CDC's boundaries? The S-Line is as close as it gets for rail but JTA's modified BRT corridor goes down Lem Turner Road.



http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2009-jan-touring-the-northside-brt-north-corridor-photo-tour

[Ocklawaha]

I've been fortunate to know and work with Paul for 5 years.  He has great vision and determination to improve the NW Jacksonville area.  He is always on the lookout for development projects, so it got me thinking about what opportunities there might be for him to do a TOD in NW Jacksonville - preferably one involving rail (light or conventional or Skyway) and not just BRT.  Any ideas, Ock, that we could share with him?

*NORTHSIDE


I would suggest that a mixed use development that would recycle a fairly large group of old warehouses at Liberty Street Station (#9 on the map above) would be a can't miss deal.

Likewise, anything in the square bordered by Carlton - Higbee/Brentwood - Norwood - 44Th Street's that encompassed the rail (which I suspect will end up being light rail) would be a clear winner too.

Anything between Busch and Clark road that bordered on I-95 and the railroad/Main Street will get a huge boost from Commuter Rail. Absolutely win-win for the developer, the city and the citizens... Hey and give me a call I might want to buy a condo!

In other area's



*WESTSIDE

Look at Roosevelt between Collins Road and Ortega Hills, or Timuquana Road, and bordering the CSX/Commuter Rail and a possible AMTRAK station, again combined with mixed use. A walkable, condensed, afordable Nocatee.



*FAR WEST

Maclenny, Baldwin and several locales in between downtown and the Little St Marys River have some excellent sites for TOD.



*SOUTHSIDE

San Marco area, Atlantic and the FLORIDA EAST COAST, with provision for a multi-modal center. I'd focus this on a mix of professional space and boutique shopping with residential above. I'd also go with an "Old San Jose" theme, and push JTA-and/or-AMTRAK to do the same for a South Jacksonville Station. Mission style stations abound in the southwest and throughout Florida, but NOTHING ever in our area. For more views google "railroad station," Boca Raton, Naples, Everglades City


OCKLAWAHA
'Hey, you asked for it...'