Urban Jacksonville

It’s pretty obvious when a building goes missing on Main Street.

Demolition of the building at 7th and Main which had been deemed a non contributing structure was completed over the weekend. Here’s what it used to look like:

At one time there were plans to develop highrise condos, but I’m not sure is these plans are still on the table. Here is my original post on plans for the 7th Street condos in Springfield:

Forum posts on Metro Jacksoville indicate saving the building would have been cost prohibitive:

Word straight from Pier Avenue Properties, the building owner, was that attempts to renovate and shore up the remaining 4 walls and floor were cost-prohibitive for the following reasons:

• walls, originally constructed of 20’s-sized concrete block, had too many holes
• building walls had too many original holes (also for windows/doors) plugged with other, non-structural materials
• damage from poor maintenance over the years left nothing salvageable but for the “holy” walls and slab

After PAP had two architects, two structural engineers, a bracing company and numerous GCs (general contractors) assess the building condition and estimate the cost to preserve and renovate, the costs to save exceeded the estimated cost to rebuild the exact same building by a significant amount (EVERY GC suggested it wasn’t worth saving from the beginning).

Tags: 7th Street, main street

I spoke with Logan Rink, a partner at Design Cooperative, LLC, and asked him a few questions about Uptown Market, the grocery component of the 3rd and Main development.

This is the most exciting project going on in the core right now. Springfield has not seen new retail development on Main Street in 50+ years. I just made that number up, but it’s something like that. In addition, this project is progressing rapidly and already changing the skyline of Main Street.

Tell me a little about the company you work for
Design Cooperative, LLC is our Architecture and Interior Design firm and we’re trying to service the urban design niche. Obviously that is where our passion is and we think that we have a good understanding of the urban design market and the specific challenges related to urban projects.

More of the standard issue info is on our website www.designcooperativefla.com, clearly we are not the standard issue design firm. The traditional “how many hours is this going to take and when I have reached the hours budgeted for the project I give no more effort” does not work for us. We like to approach the project with the idea that we are going to give the job the attention it deserves to get it done properly. We have the benefit of being a small lean firm with the resources to scale ourselves properly for the task at hand and still control the quality of the design.

Describe the project you are working on for the 3rd and Main project. How is this project different from City Market downtown and how is it the same
Uptown Market is a tenant of the 3rd and Main mixed use development. The project is being developed by the Cesery Companies. We have designed the Uptown market to have a connection to City Market (The Library).

The connection is both aesthetic and operation. In other words the Uptown market should feel like and operate much like a scaled down version of the City Market, thought the program is slightly different. The space is approximately 2,600 sqft. with a full kitchen, deli and grocery components.

The kitchen will serve breakfast and lunch with café seating for 40 and outdoor seating for an additional 28. The deli will serve the standards plus prepared foods (rotisserie chicken, sandwiches, salads and some other special creations from Eddie Escriba, Burrito Gallery chef). The deli items can be eaten in or taken out. The grocery component will carry wine, beer, dairy, dry goods as well as some specialty items like sauces, spreads and some Uptown Market proprietary items.

Related Links
Podcast Episode #16: Update on 3rd and Main, Bill Cesery is a Riverboat Gambler
Podcast Episode #9: Talk with Bill Cesery about Third and Main
Video: Slideshow of City Market Jacksonville renderings
Metro Jacksonville take on The Library
The Library Official Website

Tags: 3rd and Main, Cesery, city market, main street, the library, Uptown Market

That’s right, a good old fashioned roller jam. Totally outside the Urban Jacksonville coverage zone, but my good friend Caz, of Royal Treatment and Home Team DJs fame, will be tearing it up that night. Along with DJs Dan and Nick Fresh. $10 make you holler!

I’ve heard lot’s of rumors flying around that TSI is closing and I have a good source that says TSI IS NOT CLOSING. There is no sense in mentioning the proposed date, just know there will be a massive party once they do open. Also The Outer Box has an update on the TSI Art and Music Variety Mixer.

Jacksonville was recently ranked dead last in an “America’s most walkable big cities” survey done by Walk Score, a Web site that helps people find real estate in walkable neighborhoods. The company did a study of the 40 largest cities in the U.S. and gave each a Walk Score of up to 100 – Jacksonville scored a 36. San Francisco came in tops with an 86. (Daily Record)

Update on Boston Tom from Dylan. It sounds like the benefit went off too. Thanks to everyone who went out and supported.

Janet just came into Shanty and told me Tom is now at Brook’s rehabilitation center where he’ll be for the next month. Great news.

The Springfield Community Garden class is FULL! They are asking if anyone is interested in starting a new garden in the Jacksonville area (preferably in Riverside), and is able to take charge of that, to give a shout. Also, the have seeds they need to get into the ground this season, or risk losing them entirely. If you’re interested in flying solo with your own garden, get in touch. They might be able to hook you up with some heirloom genetic material. Mmmm, that sounds scientific! Leave a comment and I can connect you if you are interested.

The Main Street Improvement Project between 4th -12th is on schedule. There is new temporary pavement in the middle of Main St. and work on the west side of the street will begin in about one week. Damn!

Links!
Quality of Life in Jacksonville (Metro Jacksonville)
JaxCal Redesign! Nice, I like it.
The Green Kids, or I’m Jealous of the Black Kids (JaxCal)
John Gorrie daydreams, a few steps closer to reality (RADO)
11E Starbucks is Closing (Jacksonville Confidential)
This, in my opinion, is a significant hit to downtown. Another vacant store front, Arrgh! A Caribou or Dunn Brothers would fit nicely.

Finally don’t forget Traumatic Tuesday tonight at Mark’s! Biggie Tea and I (Joe E Fresh) will be laying down the entire Black Kids album at Mark’s. It’s probably going to start late (around 11). $1 pbr $2 draft $3 jager all night.

Tags: black kids, community garden, john gorrie, main street, roller jam, starbucks closing

A post on the SRG blog reveals plans for a renovation of the building at 1648 Main Street (pictured above). This is the building on the South West corner of Main and 7th.

Ready for occupancy in time for Main Street completion, the building will feature 3,500 square feet of retail or restaurant space and 14-foot ceilings. Sidewalk dining is an option, and parking exists on- and off-site.

The architectural renderings (below) reveal plans to leave the “brick arcade” intact, adding an aluminum canopy. Based on the renderings, there appears to be 4 bays for potential businesses.

SRG also recently broke ground on the Lofts at Third and Main project. The Metro Jacksonville post New Loft Project Breaks Ground in Springfield reveals the following about that project

the 38,969 square foot building will include 36 apartments and 7,500 square feet of retail space. It will also add a 3,000 square foot urban grocery market to Springfield’s Main Street corridor.

Tags: main street, srg, third and main