Affordable Elderly Apartments proposed for downtown

[Overstreet]

I guess it has been a while since I've been to KBJ. According to the site plan the church to the south of KBJ is or will become green space. It was storage for KBJ. They probably took it down a long time ago.

[thelakelander]

Lol, KBJ tore it down years ago.  It's been a vacant lot ever since.

[Lunican]

http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2007-jun-architecture-firm-kbj-destroys-historic-church

[Garden guy]

Too bad we cant get these people doing this project to spend that money on the old courthouse maybe...so much empty space waiting for an idea

[Jason]

Man, this is great news!

Is it just me or am I witnessing some 2002 dejavu?  Urban residential under construction, 2 or more developments on the boards, and a soon to be announced renovation of the Landing.....  seems familiar! 

[jcjohnpaint]

fingers crossed. 

[Bill Hoff]

This is the same type of development that is proposed for the 1400 block of Main Street. Basically, you can't make over a certain amount of money to live there, but they are not low-income either. There are other examples in Jax, including Madison Manner in the 'burbs. This project and the one on Main Street may be in competition for the same funding, in fact.

Just to be clear. One is in the new DIA zone and the other one is outside of the DIA zone but in an historic area. But there is connectivity?

I believe the 2 projects require assistance from the same source of federal funding, which is finite and competitive.

[urbaknight]

Why is it that downtown infill projects require so much permitting, zoning considerations and what seems to be a tug of war style fight that usually takes years to resolve? And most of the time too much time goes by and the financing falls trough, killing the project.

But if a project is purposed in the burbs, it's finished and completely built before anyone even knows it was ever planed?

[JaxJag]

  so true.

[ricker]

Why is it that downtown infill projects require so much permitting, zoning considerations and what seems to be a tug of war style fight that usually takes years to resolve? And most of the time too much time goes by and the financing falls trough, killing the project.

But if a project is purposed in the burbs, it's finished and completely built before anyone even knows it was ever planed?

Excellent questions.

[jcjohnpaint]

Why is it that downtown infill projects require so much permitting, zoning considerations and what seems to be a tug of war style fight that usually takes years to resolve? And most of the time too much time goes by and the financing falls trough, killing the project.

But if a project is purposed in the burbs, it's finished and completely built before anyone even knows it was ever planed?

You know I was going to ask the same thing.  You here a proposal in the southside for 200 more residence and they broke ground a week before the write up.  I know the formatting of the buildings are different, but a little re arranging the buildings and you could have a great urban design.  I am not really sure what it is all about, but it should not take even a year to get something like this off the ground.  I mean they are not even places that are going to have that many people when you really compare. 

[jcjohnpaint]

Sorry (hear)

[thelakelander]

Why is it that downtown infill projects require so much permitting, zoning considerations and what seems to be a tug of war style fight that usually takes years to resolve? And most of the time too much time goes by and the financing falls trough, killing the project.

But if a project is purposed in the burbs, it's finished and completely built before anyone even knows it was ever planed?

Suburban projects take time to build as well.  Just look at the recent news about Belk building at Sleiman's shopping center on Atlantic.  Sleiman has been working to build a shopping center on the site for years.  I've known about it at least since 2008/2009.  Same goes for SJTC and River City Marketplace.  While there is an extra layer of public micromanagement the spot light always falls on DT projects because people have been waiting for it's turnaround for decades. After all, DT is the front door of the city. Regardless of what people think about it, it's always going to draw more press.

However, one overlooked thing is that many suburban projects are developed on properties where their entitlements and interior infrastructure networks are already in place. That makes it easy for a Nordstrom Rack (Markets at Town Center) or Deerwood Lofts to go up quickly after a deal is signed.  Half of the work to make a project like that feasible has already taken place years in advance.

[I-10east]

Will there be a retail requirement?

  Yes, they will have bingo on the ground floor!  lol

LMAO!

I don't exactly think 'retail' when I think of elderly living. The Cathedral Complex (or any senior living place in Jax) doesn't have any. I'd be very surprised if any sidewalk-side retail will be within that building.

[I-10east]

Too bad we cant get these people doing this project to spend that money on the old courthouse maybe...so much empty space waiting for an idea

Yeah an old asbestos having, mold laden unadorned building would have been great....