Retail-less parking garage proposed for Downtown

[dougskiles]

Does anyone know if they have started working through the TCEA/DRI development rights process?  Just because they get DDRB approval for the design elements, doesn't mean they are through the approval process.

From JEDC's website:

Transportation Concurrency Exception Area: Downtown was recently designated as a Transportation Concurrency Exception Area (TCEA) to promote mixed-use development tied into mass transit options to mitigate the impacts of development on the downtown and surrounding roadway system.
 
The JEDC is the master developer of the Consolidated Downtown Development of Regional Impact Development Order (DRI DO), approved March 12, 1993 and the Transportation Concurrency Exception Area (TCEA), approved December 13, 2005. The Downtown Zoning Overlay requires a developer obtain DRI development rights prior to receiving final DDRB approval.
 
DRI development rights are obtained only after receiving conceptual approval by the DDRB. All new and rehabilitation projects require DRI development rights, which are made available through the Consolidated Downtown DRI DO. A developer of a proposed project must obtain DRI development rights prior to receiving final DDRB approval. DRI development rights are allocated to a developer through a Redevelopment Agreement, negotiated by the JEDC and approved by City Council. Developers are required to mitigate the impacts of their proposed development by adhering to the Consolidated Downtown DRI DO conditions and agreeing to applicable TCEA Mobility Performance Standards.
 
The downtown area is designated a TCEA and requires developers to agree to implement applicable mobility improvements that promote mixed-use development, increased efficiency of existing roadways, enhanced streetscapes, mass transit ridership, transit oriented design, etc., in lieu of traditional road widening improvements.

http://www.coj.net/departments/jacksonville-economic-development-commission/downtown-development/tcea.aspx

I am going to do some research on the Consolidated Downtown DRI DO.  I just hope these issues weren't given away when the $3.5 million was.

[simms3]

Awesome videos simms3.  You work for such a developer, yes?  Have they looked at the site?

I can't speak for the firm I work for, but don't hold your breath.  We've been heavily focused on acquisitions in large coastal gateway markets.

I firmly believe that one of the largest key ingredients missing from Jacksonville is a heavy hitting and motivated local developer.  Nashville, Charlotte and Austin all benefit from a slew of heavy hitting local developers who take pride in their local reputation and abilitity to provide a meaningful return to their investors and add value to their hometown.  Outside of Miami, Florida cities rely on so many Atlanta profiteers coming in, mowing over smaller cities and slamming through a bunch of crap for strong returns.

[simms3]

Article on some Austin developments.  Lots of Atlanta (Cousins, Gables, Novare), Dallas (Trammell Crow), and various large groups that are also active in similar cities (White Lodging - also in Nashville).  Lots of local, too...Schlosser, Endeavor, Manchester Texas.

http://www.statesman.com/business/real-estate/downtowns-skyline-poised-for-a-remake-2397927.html?viewAsSinglePage=true

Here is Nashville's most prominent local developer, who has partnered with lots of larger outside developers from Atlanta and Chicago on lots of projects not listed on its site.

http://giarratana.com/

Here are a couple developers in Charlotte, among others.

http://www.bissell-companies.com/
http://www.pappasproperties.com/pappas_metropolitan.htm
http://www.crescent-resources.com/our-work/

Of course lots of these developers do suburban stuff...but they all do have some degree of focus on local infill and large downtown projects.  I'd argue Hallmark in Jacksonville has done the most recently in the CBD (more like Riverside), but other than that group there isn't an entity that has done anything truly transformational in the city.

http://naihallmarkpartners.com/Default.aspx?tabid=11653

[simms3]

I don't see Parador as committing themselves to the market.  They seem to want to take what they can get in remaining office condo sales at SunTrust, build this garage with mega help from city to get them there, and then they're out.  Is that really who we need to be helping?  I don't think so!

You need some local guys with skin in the game to take risks (of course many try and the city repeatedly gets in the way), and then eventually you'll get the larger, better Atlanta/SE development firms, and then eventually the large guys from further away like John Buck, Hines, PREIS, Tishman (doubtfully ever), Starwood, etc etc.

[Charles Hunter]

Did the Mobility Fee system replace the mitigation elements of the Downtown DRI?  You know, the Mobility Fee the geniuses on City Council put a moratorium on?

[dougskiles]

Downtown is in the TCEA (Transportation Concurrency Exception Area) and therefore not subject to the Mobility Fee (which is fine with me because one of the main purposes of the Mobility Plan is to promote infill development).  However, the TCEA requires that all projects to implement applicable mobility improvements (see the information I posted earlier).

[Ocklawaha]

Ya have to know, I'm thinking the entire first floor would make a dandy railroad-streetcar museum with a car barn built in for our streetcar system...  and just for Lakelander, we'll include a nice RETAIL gift shop and cafe.

Hey I can dream can't I?

[thelakelander]

A parking garage in downtown Cincinnati's Restaurant Row:

[simms3]

And might I add that that garage, as interesting as it is, is still tucked away blocks from the waterfront and away from any postcard shot in and amongst the highrises.  We should be building garages like that, out of plain sight view, but we shouldn't build garages along the waterfront or within postcard view period, no matter how pretty (unless they are hidden as a podium).

[ChriswUfGator]

I need to clarify my report of what Mark Rimmer stated (he emailed me this morning - I always forget that people do read this stuff!).  He actually said that the garage should have an entrance at BOTH Hogan and Bay St.  Here are his reasons:

The reason was that the Hogan entrance would be the front door for activities at the TU Center/Landing/River, but Bay would be needed to serve the office environment.  Also, many events require that Hogan be closed down to vehicular traffic, so you would need that additional ingress/egress on Hogan.  From an operational perspective you need to have both entrance areas in order to allow decent traffic flow without creating choke points on the downtown streets in that area.

Mark is a brilliant person who has more experience with parking garages and urban traffic issues than anyone I know.  I am grateful that he is also an advocate for responsible downtown development.

You forgot the "lol"...

[copperfiend]

^These guys sound like some real class acts. Too typical.

Once our city and those in positions of power demand more, they will get more. Until then, it's just more of the same.

[fieldafm]

Just thinking outside the box a little (and more or less thinking out loud)... why not try to solve the problem of how the garage interacts with Sisters City Plaza with a shiping container store like the Starbucks in Seattle or the La Boite coffee shop in Austin? 
This is a cost-efficient (and LEED certified) way to create a pedestrian friendly, easily adaptable storefront that would instantly create a reason to activate the vastly underutilized Sisters City Plaza in a way that allows for interaction with the surrounding context= entertainment (Landing/Times Union Center) office space (Suntrust Bldg, Enterprise Center) and hotel (Omni). 

[PeeJayEss]

A parking garage in downtown Cincinnati's Restaurant Row:

A for effort, but I personally find that less appealing than possibly even a parking deck. I do not see that thing aging well.

[Jason]

I'm with the many others in that I would much rather see the lot vacant until something great can be built.

[mtraininjax]

Will some one please fire this guy?

A holdover from the Peyton era, what, the Mayor could not recruit anyone from DC for his position? Or is he Civil Service status like Pease and almost impossible to fire?