T-U building for sale

[river4340]

Not surprising. The newspaper isn't doing well enough financially to warrant that kind of real estate.

The Florida Times-Union property at 1 Riverside Ave. is on the market for possible sale or redevelopment.
Morris Publishing Group, parent company of the Times-Union and Jacksonville.com, said Saturday that it will consider proposals to sell the 18-acre property on the St. Johns River, or consider possible partnerships to develop the site for mixed use, including offices, a hotel or multifamily housing.

http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2016-06-04/story/times-union-building-offered-sale-or-redevelopment

[thelakelander]

Good move for the TU and downtown in general. A printing plant doesn't need to be on the river. They haven't had rail shipments in years, so they don't need to be on the FEC either.

[jaxjaguar]

YESSS! This building desperately needs to be replaced. I toured it about a year ago and it feels like stepping into a time machine back to the 50's. The property is also very poorly used currently, with a massive surface parking lot/loading zone that kills the vibe of the riverwalk in that area. 

This could be the next big step for Brooklyn. It would be great to see something like the Strand / Peninsula combo go in here with a more mixed use lower levels. You add: highly desirable waterfront condos, apartments and shopping, hundreds of residents and continue to add to the desirability / sustainability of the area. If this is picked up by the right developer, I believe it could be the first step to getting the SkyWay spur and new high rises we've all wanted for the last 10 years. I've got my fingers crossed that this land isn't found to be contaminated like the everywhere else along the river and will move along at light-speed!

[JaxAvondale]

I'll be happy to see that surface lot redeveloped into a mixed use area.

[spuwho]

Morris does own one of the few FAA registered helipads in downtown. The riverwalk takes a little detour around it.

I say let Flagler buy it and develop it as part of their Jacksonville gateway for the future AAF portal.

[mtraininjax]

The newspaper isn't doing well enough financially to warrant that kind of real estate.

They do a LOT more than just the newspaper there. They bought Beson out of his magazines and do quite well with the mags business. They also have the number 1 domain, jacksonville.com run from there too. The space is more than just a dumpy old newspaper.

It is an eyesore though, needs to go, get the junk properties off the river.

[Adam White]

I like the building and hope they don't tear it down.

[thelakelander]

Yeah, the office building is pretty interesting if you're into Mid-Century  Modern. The rest of the site, not so much.

[blfair]

Morris does own one of the few FAA registered helipads in downtown. The riverwalk takes a little detour around it.

I say let Flagler buy it and develop it as part of their Jacksonville gateway for the future AAF portal.

I've always been curious about the history of that heliport. Surely it was used a time or two for something, but sometime as the riverwalk got used more, using it turned into a huge liability.

[Adam White]

Yeah, the office building is pretty interesting if you're into Mid-Century  Modern. The rest of the site, not so much.

Maybe they can turn it into flats and then redevelop the rest of the property.

[thelakelander]

In Orlando, they turned the old city hall building (from the same era) into an Aloft Hotel. So, there should be some possibilities for adaptive reuse, if the market is viable.

[ProjectMaximus]

^I didn't know the history...that's why it looked strange and so old when I was there lol.

[thelakelander]

My bad. It was the old Orlando Utilities Commission building, next door to city hall.



http://www.hotelinteractive.com/article.aspx?articleid=24426

[jaxjaguar]

I like lakes thinking here... aloft usually loves visually unique older buildings, that don't require much work. I could definitely see them being interested in the TU building. Especially since they are already looking at Brooklyn for their next Jax expansion...


Their hotels in downtown Tampa/St Pete are also good examples of reuse. Probably my favorite hotel brand so I may be biased   

[vicupstate]

This is a VERY key property and if done right could be a strong boost for both DT and Brooklyn.  I've never liked anything on this site. i hope they tear down everything ans start new.

I have always thought this should be the site of a Convention Center with on-site hotel.  The only downside to that is the Hyatt is some distance away and at 1,000 rooms would normally serve the purpose of being a Convention Hotel.

It is a large site so few developers will be about to tackle it and DT is in weak condition compared to most cities.