Plans filed for $500 million Southbank project

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v226/urbanjax7816/Jacksonville/southbank.jpg

By M.C. MOEWE
The Times-Union

A developer has filed preliminary plans for a $500 million project that would erect six buildings, including three 35-story towers adding 1,500 residential units to Jacksonville's Southbank, a public park, marina and a grocery.

The 17-acre property at Riverplace Blvd. and Prudential Drive encompasses the site of the Radisson Riverwalk Hotel and the former Crawdaddy's restaurant.

"This is really a city within a city," said Steve Pardo, a principal owner in Riverwalk Hotels LLC, the developer. "It will provide all the public and private amenities for those who will live there residentially."

If approved in several layers of city review, four of the buildings will go up before the Radisson Riverwalk Hotel at 1515 Prudential Drive would be considered for demolition, Pardo said.

"The existing hotel would not be taken down for some time," he said adding that could be five to six years down the road.

Crawdaddy's is being demolished. For more on this story turn to Tuesday's Times-Union.

http://www.jacksonville.com/images/061504/34917_400.jpg
Workers removed wooden beams and decorations in June from the former Crawdaddy's restaurant that closed in early 2002.

This is very big news. There's been rumors for months that Radisson was planning to demolish its hotel and rebuild on the site. The current site contains one of the largest surface parking lots on the Southbank. It also bridges the gap between the Strand (28 stories), San Marco Place (21 stories), and the Peninsula (36 stories) towers with the 1,400 unit Haskell project on the site of the old Southbank Generation Station. Hopefully they will release some renderings pretty soon.

Great News, Jacksonville has alot of projects in the works huh?!

Awesome. Just awesome.

Hopefully, the project will provide some real street interaction, and not just a vertical suburb.

I agree. It seems like it will be okay at street level if its going to include a public park and grocery store. All of the other projects, except Berkman Plaza, include retail at street level, so hopefully this will be the same. I guess we'll know more details tomorrow.

from the Jax Business Journal

Jacksonville's Southbank could gain 1,500 residential units if a Miami-based developer gets approval for a $500 million mixed-use project on riverfront land surrounding the Radisson Riverwalk Hotel.

In preliminary plans filed with the city's Planning and Development Department, Miami-based Riverwalk Hotels LLC has proposed a five-tower complex on 16 acres at the intersection of Riverplace Boulevard and Prudential Drive.

In addition to the 35-to-40-story towers, the development, called San Marco Riverwalk, would include 90,000 square feet of retail space, a 200-room hotel, a 300-slip marina and a 28,000-square-foot grocery store. The plans also call for a two-acre riverfront public park.

"This is something we've been working on for some time, and what we are trying to achieve is to take our property, which we consider to be the anchor to the development on this side of the river, and put together a multifaceted project that has residential, commercial, retail and hospitality," said Steve Pardo, a principal with Riverwalk Hotels.

Pardo's company has owned the Radisson Riverwalk and its surrounding 14 acres, including Crawdaddy's restaurant, since April 2001. That restaurant is now being demolished, but a new restaurant could take its place, Pardo said.

The Radisson, whose rooms Pardo's company has spent millions refurbishing, will stay and see upgrades to its meeting spaces and common areas.

"We feel that a very important part of this plan is to take the existing hotel and upgrade it to make it a four-star property," said Pardo. "The fully-renovated hotel with 320 rooms combined with a 200-room new hotel will have a meeting space of over 35,000 square feet. It will provide additional hospitality space for the city to attract conventions."

Although the hotel will stay for now, Pardo said the final two towers, if built, would replace the hotel in the future.

Though still early in the planning process, Pardo said the first phase of the development, which would include the hotel upgrades and the new hotel, could be completed in fall 2005.

© 2004 American City Business Journals Inc.

great news jax!!!

i hope theyre closer to the 40 story range lol

That makes two projects along Riverplace Blvd associating themselves with San Marco. It would be interesting if the Southbank and San Marco Square came to be known collectively as San Marco. It's a catchier name, anyway.

Now there's over 4,000 units planned for the Southbank alone. The goal for all of downtown was 10,000 -- doesn't look like too optimistic a number anymore. Imagine downtown's population going from a 2-digit number 4 years ago (excluding the Cathedral residences, and the jail) to a 5-digit number... can't wait until the 2010 Census.

Here's another article. Now its been reveled that there will be six towers: a 9 story hotel, 28 & 30 story condo towers, and the previous mentioned three 35 story towers. The hotel tower could begin construction this spring.
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$500 million project includes 3 35-story towers, hotel, park
http://www.jacksonville.com/images/082404/38603_400.jpg

By M.C. MOEWE
The Times-Union
A $500 million project proposed for Jacksonville's Southbank calls for the construction of six buildings -- including three 35-story towers -- bringing 1,500 residential units, a public riverfront park, retail shops and a 28,000-square-foot grocery store, the developer said.

"This is really a city within a city," said Steve Pardo, a principal owner in Riverwalk Hotels, LLC, who said he submitted his project plans for San Marco Riverwalk for city approval Monday. "It will provide all the public and private amenities for those who live there residentially."

Plans call for the eventual demolition of the Radisson Riverwalk Hotel, the Chart House restaurant and about 2,000 square feet of office buildings standing on the 17-acre site at Riverplace Boulevard and Prudential Drive. "We intend to operate the hotel through 2010 and beyond depending on market conditions," Pardo said adding he plans to do a multimillion-dollar renovation to the 21-year-old hotel.

The office buildings will be torn down after the Super Bowl in February, Pardo said. His company is negotiating with the 20-year-old Chart House to open in one of three planned restaurant sites.

It takes an average of 115 days for the approval process. Pardo said he is tentatively scheduled to submit his plans to the city's Design Review Committee on Sept. 30. The project's three construction phases are expected to take seven to 10 years to complete.

The Miami-based company plans to submit a proposal that will ask the city for an as yet-undetermined amount of incentives for the public-accessible area of the development, Pardo said. Those areas include a park, 45,000 square feet in retail shops, the three restaurants, the hotel and a marina that can accommodate up to 300 boats.

Jill Leavy, with the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission, said her office has not received that proposal.

Although his company will go ahead with the residential development regardless, the city support is crucial for the public accessible areas, Pardo said. "In order to have the public amenities such as the park and grocery store and the retail, we will need to have the support of the city," he said.

If all goes smoothly, his company will begin construction in spring 2005 on a nine-story hotel with 200 rooms and 6,000 square feet of meeting space, Pardo said. "We have not finalized the franchise but it will be a four-star hotel," he said.

The boutique-style grocery store will be located on the ground floor of the 28-story tower in 2007 or 2008, he said.

Construction on the first of three 35-story condominium towers would begin January 2006, Pardo said.

"The Southbank is going to change," said Suzanne Jenkins, the city councilwoman whose district includes the area. "Now it's very suburban. Everything is going to go up. It's going to have a much more urban feel as you go toward the river."

Although she hasn't seen the plans, Jenkins said she's hopeful that the project is a good fit for that area. "If it's designed well it would be," she said. "It makes sense to have your most dense area in or near downtown. That's more bang for your buck. We already have the roads built there. We have sidewalks, sewer and water."

While the construction schedule would depend on market conditions, Pardo said his company plans to begin building a second residential tower in January 2007, located riverfront near Riverplace Boulevard. The final two towers that will require the demolition of the Radisson Riverwalk Hotel won't begin until the other structures are built.

The towers will sit on top of parking garages which will be hidden by town houses to create a small-town feel, Pardo said. The retail shops will be on the riverfront. "It'll be boutique shops, which will create an extension of San Marco," he said. "The street will be lit to create a quaint, picturesque atmosphere."

The city was recently entangled over another riverfront project, The Shipyards, a proposed $860 million residential and commercial development on the Northbank. Announced in 2001, the project received $35.6 million in public incentives. But recently the city said developer Trilegacy Group LLC misspent the money and forced it to give up control of the project.

A new developer has until December to decide whether to take over that development or the city will take control.

Mayor's Office spokeswoman Susan Wiles said she had heard of the Southbank project but was reluctant to discuss it.

wow, great news for Jax!
that's one massive project, the city is vigorously trying to revitalize it's center city. 6 towers in itself would completely alter the skyline. Where is this location in relation to center of the downtown? & What kind of red tape is in the way of making this project a reality?
I'm just amazed at the amount of action going on in Florida's major cities!

It's across the river, on the southbank...Basically smack dab in the southbank skyline. For the most part, it should help densify it, not increase its apparent size. I think that will be fine and dandy.

looks like the boom town is now jax :)

Jeez you never stop do you?

My revised count puts the total number of planned downtown towers at 28. I had no idea there are now 19 towers proposed for the Southbank. If half of these are built, the Northbank may become the secondary skyline.

Southbank

1. The Strand (28 stories/295 units) - under construction
2. San Marco Place (21 stories/141 units) - breaks ground next month
3. The Peninsula (36 stories/234 units) - breaks ground in Dec. 2004
4. Waterside Condos I (48 stories/250 units) - preliminary approved
5. Waterside Condos II (48 stories/250 units) - preliminary approved

6. San Marco Riverwalk Hotel (9 stories/200 rooms) - const. starts spring 2005
7. San Marco Riverwalk condo tower (28 stories) - late 2005 groundbreaking
8. San Marco Riverwalk condo tower (30 stories) - Jan 2007 groundbreaking
9. San Marco Riverwalk condo tower (35 stories) - Jan 2006 groundbreaking
10. San Marco Riverwalk condo (35 stories) - 2011
11. San Marco Riverwalk condo (35 stories) - 2011

* all San Marco Riverwalk units add up to 1,500.

12-19. Haskell - Southside Generation Station - (8 towers, 15-25 stories/1,400 units) - planned

Northbank

20. JEA Tower conversion (31 story addition) - planned
21. Westin Hotel (12 stories/197 units) - planned
22. The Landing Office Tower (25 stories) - planned
23. Berkman Plaza II (22 stories/200 units) - planned
24. 323 Duval (12 story/100,000sf office bldg.) - planned

Riverside Avenue

25. St. Joe condo tower (17 stories) - planned
26. Fidelity Financial (10 story - 280,000sf office building) - planned
27. Fidelity Financial condo tower (height unknown) - planned
28. Fidelity Financial hotel tower (height unknown) - planned

* There's also the River City Brewing Company site and the Shipyards site that is in limbo right now. Towers there would easily push the number above 30.

I'm staying at the Radisson on the southbank at this very moment, on a business trip. The Crawdaddy's site next door was pretty fun to explore, but it's very small - they are really going to have to cram the towers in... I took a lot of pics.

The Radisson is only 5 stories, but after next year will be in the midst of a lot of residential towers. Maybe they'll eventually top it off with something cool?

This is my first time in Jax and it's been pretty interesting, not at all what I expected...

Welcome to Jax, be sure to check out San Marco Square (about a mile south of the Radisson) and Riverside/Avondale's Five Points & St. Johns Avenue (across the river, S. of I-95). All three have several restaurants, bars, shops, etc. and are local favorites. Downtown, outside of the Landing, is pretty much a construction zone and won't be up and running until Super Bowl time.

As far as the Radisson site goes, if they want to cram 6 towers there, then that's more than fine with me. Another good thing is that the site is right next to three other towers (36,28,21 stories) scheduled to break ground this year. You can probably see the 28 story Strand site, under construction, from your room. Anyway if its one thing the Southbank needs, its density, so this project is welcome.

Yeah! They're tearing that sh*thole Crawdaddy's down! And, I can't wait to see the Radisson go! YEEHAW!!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v226/urbanjax7816/Jacksonville/southbank.jpg

This is pretty bad quality wise, but here's a scanned image of the project's preliminary site plan. The angled street, on the left, follows the path of the skyway. As of today only Riverplace Blvd (N-S street on the left) and Prudential Drive (E-W street at the bottom) exist. The existing hotel sits where Towers 6 & 4 are planned, and the rest of the site is surface parking.

(from right to left, here's a detailed list of the projects towers)

Tower 1 (bottom right): 35 stories/375 residential units

Tower 2 (top left): 28 stories/275 residential units

Tower 3 (2nd from the right): 35 stories/325 residential units

Tower 4 (center- E of circle): 35 stories/325 residential units

Tower 5 (bottom left): 9 stories/200 room hotel

Tower 6 (center - left): 300 residential units

Yeah! They're tearing that sh*thole Crawdaddy's down! And, I can't wait to see the Radisson go! YEEHAW!!

I do have fond memories of the place though.

http://www.jacksonville.com/images/100104/43453_400.jpg

A rendering has been released illustrating what a $500 million project would look like that's proposed for Jacksonville's Southbank.

It calls for the construction of six buildings -- including three 35-story towers -- bringing 1,500 residential units, a public riverfront park, retail shops and a 28,000-square-foot grocery store, the developer said.

"This is really a city within a city," said Steve Pardo in August. Pardo is a principal owner in Riverwalk Hotels, LLC, who said he submitted his project plans for San Marco Riverwalk for city approval. "It will provide all the public and private amenities for those who live there residentially."

Plans call for the eventual demolition of the Radisson Riverwalk Hotel, the Chart House restaurant and about 2,000 square feet of office buildings standing on the 17-acre site at Riverplace Boulevard and Prudential Drive. "We intend to operate the hotel through 2010 and beyond depending on market conditions," Pardo said adding he plans to do a multimillion-dollar renovation to the 21-year-old hotel.

The office buildings will be torn down after the Super Bowl in February, Pardo said. His company is negotiating with the 20-year-old Chart House to open in one of three planned restaurant sites.

The project's three construction phases are expected to take seven to 10 years to complete.

If all goes smoothly, his company will begin construction in spring 2005 on a nine-story hotel with 200 rooms and 6,000 square feet of meeting space, Pardo said. "We have not finalized the franchise but it will be a four-star hotel," he said.

The boutique-style grocery store will be located on the ground floor of the 28-story tower in 2007 or 2008, he said.

Construction on the first of three 35-story condominium towers would begin January 2006, Pardo said in August.


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Workers removed wooden beams and decorations in June from the former Crawdaddy's restaurant that closed in early 2002. JOHN PEMBERTON/The Times-Union --------------------------------------------------

While the construction schedule would depend on market conditions, Pardo said his company plans to begin building a second residential tower in January 2007, located riverfront near Riverplace Boulevard. The final two towers that will require the demolition of the Radisson Riverwalk Hotel won't begin until the other structures are built.

The towers will sit on top of parking garages which will be hidden by town houses to create a small-town feel, Pardo said. The retail shops will be on the riverfront. "It'll be boutique shops, which will create an extension of San Marco," he said. "The street will be lit to create a quaint, picturesque atmosphere."

I like the rendering. I hope it is as urban as they claim

This proposal certainly looks a lot better than what is there now. Hope it all gets built eventually.

Go Jaxx!!