Building Up Jax: JTRC groundbreaking, Landing feud, and more

Check out the latest Jacksonville development and construction news in this week’s edition of Building Up Jax!

Regional Transportation Center breaks ground

This week, Jacksonville Transportation Authority broke ground on its new state-of-the-art transportation center.

Once completed, Jacksonville Regional Transportation Center will serve as the central hub for public transit in the First Coast area. It will feature an updated Skyway station, a brand new Greyhound bus station, a ride share hub, a bike share hub, and a central station for First Coast Flyer bus routes. It’ll also leave space for future developments, like a commuter rail station.

The first phase of construction, which will feature the Greyhound station and bus terminal, began earlier this year and should be done around the beginning of next year. But the center itself, which will feature administrative offices as well as customer service and waiting areas, will be built as part of Phase II to be completed in 2019.

The new transit hub represents a major, much-needed investment in Jacksonville public transportation, and acts as the culmination of several years of studies and planned improvements from JTA.

City vs. Sleiman at the Landing

The battle over Jacksonville Landing continues to heat up.

This week, Mayor Lenny Curry indicated that the city may be ready to take over control of the Landing from its current management, led by Sleiman Enterprises.

The statement comes after a back-and-forth between city officials and Toney Sleiman, with each side believing that the other is to blame for the property’s continued decline and lack of redevelopment.

Sleiman claims it’s because the city won’t support his redevelopment efforts, whereas the city believes that Sleiman has been mismanaging the property as it is and therefore has little confidence in his company’s ability to revive it.

The building itself is owned by Sleiman, but the land is owned by the city. It’s far from the first time the two sides have been at odds since Sleiman took over the building in 2002.

It’s hard to say which side of the argument is valid, but what’s clear is that both sides need to do a little bit better at acting like adults and finding a solution. One thing we can all agree on: it’s in the best interest of everyone for the Landing to be redeveloped.

Noted projects

First Watch received a permit to renovate the former Corner Bakery Café at 192 Riverside Ave. in Brooklyn Station for its newest location, scheduled to open this fall.
Outback Steakhouse will continue with its goal of remodeling its Jax area locations, with its location at 13245 Atlantic Blvd. being next up.
The permit for Town Center One, the massive new office building to be developed at 5555 Gate Parkway, comes in at a staggering $15.1 million. The building will be anchored by healthcare company Availity.
The Stuffed Beaver, a new concept from the owner of Full of Crepe food truck, will open later this year at 2544 Oak St. according to the Florida Times-Union. It’ll serve crepes and poutine.
Flour & Fig Bakehouse will be joining the recently relocated The Block Skate Supply at 1715 N. Main St. in Springfield, according to Modern Cities.