(Bergmann Architects Engineers Planners)
With this information in hand, the City of Jacksonville and Sleiman Enterprises worked with Bergmann Architects Engineers Planners to create a conceptual design and master plan for the redevelopment of the privately owned festival marketplace. Released to the public in August 2014, the proposed plan increased public access along the river from 20,000 square-feet to almost 89,000 square-feet. In addition, Sleiman Enterprises desired to raze the Landing, replacing it with a $75 million mixed-use development that would incorporate 320 residential apartments, 60,000 square feet of double volume retail space on the ground floor, a 150-room boutique hotel and parking structures accommodating 800 vehicles. Other prominent features of the conceptual redevelopment plan included the opening of the site to Laura Street to create a walkable retail oriented streetscape.
(Bergmann Architects Engineers Planners)
In addition to Sleimain’s proposed investment, Mayor Alvin Brown requested City Council authorization of $11.8 million in city debt to pay for the public improvements associated with the 18 to 24 month redevelopment of the Jacksonville Landing property into a world-class mixed use space. This money would have funded costs associated with demolition, relocation of storm drains, electric utilities, grading of the site and the construction of a more than $8.5 million waterfront park that would have included amenities such as fountains, a stage, shade canopies, a granite surface hardscape and public art.
This plan was widely criticized as expensive and unnecessary. Curry’s advisor Brian Hughes, who is spearheading the current plan to demolish the Landing, said at the time, “throwing money, nearly $12 million, at special interests while kids are being gunned down in the street because of fewer cops is not simply outrageous it’s disgusting.” To reiterate, the plan Hughes is promoting costs over $22 million and counting, while the city’s violent crime rate continues to grow.
The Jacksonville Civic Council was one of many influential business leadership groups calling for more public input on Sleiman’s redevelopment plans for his buildings, which were located on publicly owned land. In an August 2014 Florida Times-Union article by Nate Monroe and Roger Bull,
A group of Jacksonville’s influential business leaders said Thursday morning they are not endorsing recently unveiled plans by the owners of The Jacksonville Landing to tear the structure down and replace it with two mixed-use structures that would include apartments, restaurants, shops and possibly a hotel.
Instead, the Jacksonville Civic Council is calling on the community’s talent pool to come up with plans to reshape the venue, which sits on city-owned land.
“It isn’t a site-specific criticism, we just feel we can do a better plan as a community and that the community has the right to be involved,” said Bob Rhodes, chairman of the Civic Council’s Downtown Task Force. “But we cannot endorse the plans as they are.
“Once a decision is made on what to build, you can’t change it. When you look at the Downtown Investment Authority’s plans, the Landing is the catalyst for downtown revitalization. If this is the epicenter for downtown, we have to measure it against the DIA goals,” he said. “And we feels this falls short.”
Source: August 2014 Florida Times-Union article by Nate Monroe and Roger Bull: Landing revamp gets cold reception, Group of city’s business leaders say they can’t endorse new plan
(Bergmann Architects Engineers Planners)
(Bergmann Architects Engineers Planners)
(Bergmann Architects Engineers Planners)