Beautiful city, but where are the people?

[TheArtist]

   Ran across this interesting article on Skyscraper Page Forums about Jacksonvilles downtown revitalization efforts.  Makes some interesting points, and offers some possible "lessons learned".

http://jacksonville.com/business/2009-12-13/story/lights_dimming_on_jacksonvilles_bold_plans_for_downtown


Some bits and pieces that sum up most of the article....




* Just as residential development was picking up steam, the city pulled back from offering critical financial incentives. A flurry of proposals for new high-rise towers never got off the ground.
(hope this doesnt happen in Tulsa)

* While downtown development authorities in other cities grow stronger by the year, Jacksonville eliminated its agency in 2006 in the name of streamlining.  

(we got rid of DTU, kept the "street cleaning" part, got rid of the promotional part, what there was of it anyway and so far I dont think there are plans to have one.  There is however a group of people who will try to make a go of it, hopefully "yours truly" will be on that board representing TN)

* City Hall hasn't picked any concentrated area of downtown for a fully funded, complete revitalization that would create a walkable area where businesses, venues and residences can feed off each other's foot traffic.

(sounds painfully familiar)



(good)  Role models weren't hard to find: From San Diego to Pittsburgh, from Charlotte, N.C., to Greenville, S.C., scores of rebounding downtowns are ushering in an urban renaissance in America, drawing an invigorating mix of empty-nesters, young professionals and hipsters.

Those success stories took years to unfold, but they share common ingredients: hard work, a fierce commitment to the inner city and strong public-private partnerships.


The pullback on incentives played out prominently in the fate of four historic buildings that remain vacant in the middle of downtown: The Barnett Bank building and the nearby "Laura Street Trio," which once housed two other banks and an insurance company.....

 Langton said taxpayer assistance is vital because developers cannot charge higher rents to residents until downtown gets more retail and entertainment within walking distance of their apartments.

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Frank Nero, former director of the now-disbanded Downtown Development Authority, used the term "trench warfare" to describe his experience in the 1990s.

"It played better to be for [suburban] drainage and against the Riverwalk," Nero said. "Downtown became a poster child to get kicked."

Former City Councilman Matt Carlucci was among the council members who pushed for shifting money to the growing suburbs instead of downtown. He later changed his mind.

"Executives would want to know if they were moving to a city on the go or a city that's just drifting along aimlessly," Carlucci said. "That was like a light bulb going off in my head. We can't just do this [job growth] with tax breaks."

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Jacksonville used to have a downtown development agency with an appointed board and executive staff beating the drum for the city core. The Downtown Development Authority, formed in the 1970s, became an advisory board within the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission when then-Mayor John Delaney formed the JEDC.

In 2006, Peyton reorganized the JEDC and eliminated the DDA. The JEDC still had the responsibilities of downtown redevelopment, but with a smaller staff — 18 employees for the entire county, down from 40 in 2004. By contrast, Orlando's downtown-only authority boasts a 15-member staff.

The only organization today with that sole focus is Downtown Vision, a nonprofit "business improvement district" formed in 2000 at the behest of Delaney after he learned how similar districts helped Philadelphia and other cities.

Carlton Jones, a Jacksonville developer who has done projects in Washington, said it was a mistake to disband the DDA.

"The Downtown Development Authority would have its sole focus on downtown," he said. "Each and every day, its people would wake up in the morning and ask, 'How can I improve downtown?' "

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"The key is residential, residential, residential," said JEDC Executive Director Ron Barton.

This fiscal year, the downtown tax districts will generate nearly $10 million, but most of that is already spent, earmarked for previously approved development deals, including a $4 million subsidy for parking garages built for the arena and future county courthouse. Making matters worse, the city siphoned more than $300,000 from the district's coffers to bolster the ailing general fund....

(Arent we building a new parking garage while also parsing out meager sums to only a few of the possible, some quite good, residential developments?)

Residential development is doubly important because downtown's other source of people — its workers — is shrinking...

Last year, Deutsche Bank picked the Butler Boulevard corridor to build offices for up to a thousand employees. In 2006, Fidelity Investments chose the Southside as the site for a 1,200-employee financial services center.

The city has tried at times to stop the migration of offices to the suburbs. In 2003, the city approved a $1.8 million incentive to keep Stein Mart's corporate headquarters downtown.

Others couldn't be persuaded. Delaney recalled when American General bought Gulf Life, pulling an icon out of what is now the Riverplace Tower on the Southbank.

"I was sitting there with that CEO begging him. He said, 'John, I can move anywhere there's a phone jack and an electrical outlet.' I knew it was over then," Delaney said...

Even if downtown workers were inclined to stay after work, they have a limited menu of places to go.

Until the 1980s, downtown was home to five department stores. Today, there's no place for thousands of office workers to even buy a dress or suit, much less do their Christmas shopping.

In 2007, a city report on what's needed listed a pharmacy, grocery store, higher-end spa, medical center, yoga studio, sports bar, antique and consignment shops, and a large place for artisans to work and sell their wares.

Consultants said other cities have used grants and loans to help local retailers get a foothold in downtown, paving the way for national chain stores to follow.....

"The Landing had the promise and never quite fulfilled it," said Cesery, who is planning a revival of his own: Converting the old downtown library into a wine bar, restaurant and grocery.

Janice Lowe, general manager of the Landing, said Sleiman still wants to redevelop the center, but can't do it alone.

"The successful projects are public-private ventures," she said....

"As downtown goes, so goes your city," he said. "It doesn't matter if someone is looking at J. Turner Butler or anywhere else. They judge a city on downtown and it can't be a ghost town."

[OurTulsa]

I've thought for quite some time that Tulsa could do more to promote downtown and urban life in general.  Density focussed downtown and in core neighborhoods in my mind could be a significant savior for Tulsa...provided that the density is presented pleasantly and supported by context sensitive public streets and spaces and an effective transit network.

To be fair V2025 is helping some but it's been slow to come and I do believe there are some projects working that are going to kick the ball down the road a little faster but...

The City owns alot of property in and around downtown.  What's better for the City?  Continue to hold out on these properties waiting for the home-run development proposal and/or a very good financial return (sales price)  or  establish a set of goals in terms of density, use, and design (general) for a particular property given its context and find the right developer to essentially give the property away.  Maybe that sounds a little extreme but I think I would rather eat a $mil. as a tax payer in order to incent someone to build something that will contribute to our tax base and the vitality of our urban core all while utilizing existing infrastructure.  At teh same time the City rids itself of another empty property that they have to maintain.  That new project may be the one that validates downtown as an investment for further private sector development. 
And it doesn't necessarily have to be a large scale developent.  The City owns many smaller plots or properties that could be broken up into smaller lots.  Why not give say...an Eliot Nelson...a 75'X140' tract of City owned land down near the Blue Dome so that he might build a three story commercial/residential building on it.  That one building might make the leftovers of that property more marketable.
Do we need to build a block at a time?

The City is also working against a machine in terms of promotion.  There are many entities that collectively sell suburban living.  It would help if there was an entity talking up downtown and the core.  I look at that as marketing our existing investments.  The City is already heavily invested in an urban framework why do we sit idly by and allow to continue to be abandoned.

[Conan71]

Our Tulsa, you make an interesting point on what to do with the inventory of city-owned properties. While I don't agree with stupid giveaways like the scheme to buy the concrete plant on the west bank only to turn around and essetially give it to an under-funded developer, I really wouldn't sneeze near as hard about the city or TDA seriously discounting existing properties if it would stimulate development more readily. I'd propose that the actual dirt be deeded to the developer after construction is completed to keep speculators from buying and hoarding vacant parcels for another 20 years. The real value in these properties is with innovative and affordable developments which will attract more people and business to our urban core. It's our best bet at trying to mitigate the drain to the suburbs.

In other words, I agree these parcels are worth more to tax payers with buildings on them. In these days of tough financial times for the city, we don't need to worry about waiting around to get high gross out of these.

[TheArtist]

   I have been toying with the idea of opening up a shop downtown called "Deco Echo".  It would have contemporary and retro furnishings (perhaps some old stuff creatively re-purposed, repainted and updated with neat finishes), gifts, and decor items, plus an art gallery section for my, and other local artists, stuff.  Would have as many local products as possible, and ones that have a deco twist, like Frankoma Pottery (started during the deco area which is why so much of it has a deco look) and Fiestaware. There would be a mix of both high-end, one of a kind, custom stuff (artwork, glassware, furniture), and rock bottom, low as you can go prices, and everything in between to cover the wide range of the urban market,,, all brought together in a flashy, fun, high style artsy, atmosphere. 

Gonna be difficult to get going (arteest is poor in this recession) and will take a while to build up some starting inventory and finish up the paperwork, tax id etc.  But I am hoping that once I get closer to being able to actually make a go of it, that I can find some spot downtown that someone will let me have for dirt cheap so that I can build from there, and work out some graduated lease agreement.  Its a risk going downtown. There is currently not a lot of shopping to make it a shopping draw, plus we are in a recession, but I would love to make a go of it. But the only way someone like me could do it would be to have a chunk of time to build the business and start in a very inexpensive place.  I have always had an itching to have my own shop and I think my vision of a flashy, glitzy, artsy, over the top store with both, high end and very affordable products (kind of a Z Gallery with lots of kick) would be perfect for a downtown environment.   

[Conan71]

   I have been toying with the idea of opening up a shop downtown called "Deco Echo".  It would have contemporary and retro furnishings (perhaps some old stuff creatively re-purposed, repainted and updated with neat finishes), gifts, and decor items, plus an art gallery section for my, and other local artists, stuff.  Would have as many local products as possible, and ones that have a deco twist, like Frankoma Pottery (started during the deco area which is why so much of it has a deco look) and Fiestaware. There would be a mix of both high-end, one of a kind, custom stuff (artwork, glassware, furniture), and rock bottom, low as you can go prices, and everything in between to cover the wide range of the urban market,,, all brought together in a flashy, fun, high style artsy, atmosphere. 

Gonna be difficult to get going (arteest is poor in this recession) and will take a while to build up some starting inventory and finish up the paperwork, tax id etc.  But I am hoping that once I get closer to being able to actually make a go of it, that I can find some spot downtown that someone will let me have for dirt cheap so that I can build from there, and work out some graduated lease agreement.  Its a risk going downtown. There is currently not a lot of shopping to make it a shopping draw, plus we are in a recession, but I would love to make a go of it. But the only way someone like me could do it would be to have a chunk of time to build the business and start in a very inexpensive place.  I have always had an itching to have my own shop and I think my vision of a flashy, glitzy, artsy, over the top store with both, high end and very affordable products (kind of a Z Gallery with lots of kick) would be perfect for a downtown environment.   

Go talk to Mary Beth Babcock at Dwelling Spaces if you want a bird's eye view of how to get going in downtown retail.  I suspect she is successful since her store is still open and well-stocked.  I'd also imagine she can bring you up to speed on any pitfalls you need to know about.  One way to help ensure your success is not to rely soley on the local market, use the internet and e-commerce sites like eBay to help your cash flow and inventory needs.  You might even consider "incubating" by selling your products first in someone else's shop.

Call me any time if you need help in getting a presence going on the internet.  I'm not a web design expert, I'm a marketer.  I've built a couple of businesses by exploiting the power of the internet.

[TheTed]

We already have quite a few downtown residents, but how do we get them to stop driving everywhere? The vast majority of trips by downtown residents are still by automobile. Even if you just counted trips by downtown residents to destinations within a 1-1.5 mile radius, the overwhelming majority are by car.

We have all these TYPros who claim to want to make the city better, many of whom live close to downtown, Cherry Street, 18th/Boston or Brookside destinations, but driving your lazy a** isn't doing nearly as much to bring the city to life as if you walked or biked. And it's furthering the perception by visitors that Tulsa is dead.