thelakelander
08-16-2006, 06:39 AM
By DAN SCANLAN
The Times-Union
A proposal to build a 104-unit condominium at a marina at the south end of Mandarin has been canned by its developer after almost a year of vocal opposition from residents. Julian LeCraw and Co. will withdraw the rezoning request it needed to build the condominium and mixed office/retail on a 6.8-acre site at San Jose Boulevard and Julington Creek Road. Instead, spokesman Michael Munz said the developer bought the property Aug. 8 and should unveil plans this fall for “a retail destination the community can be proud of,” coupled with improvements to the existing marina. “We will probably start over with some new, fresh ideas that keep strong focus on the marina and bring in what we heard from the community — some said they wanted restaurants or a marina store, those kinds of nice retail community facilities,” Munz said. City Councilwoman Sharon Cope-land, whose district includes the marina, said she is glad the condominium project is gone. “I had just as many concerns as residents,” Copeland said. “… I didn’t want to see any high-rise, and it didn’t fit with the character of the community.” LeCraw’s first proposal was for a 15-story building at the marina at 12807 San Jose Blvd. The marina’s 102 slips and boat storage building would have stayed, leasable by the public. The rezoning was needed to add homes to the site, already zoned for commercial use. But neighbors protested the size and traffic impact at a town meeting in September. They continued to air those concerns even when the developer dropped the height to 11 stories in November, then seven in mid-February, adding retail and office buildings to the mix at the last meeting. Copeland and residents say they still have concerns about the kind of traffic a retail/office facility could have on the crowded road system there. She said the city’s traffic engineering division will have to work on that with the developer.
dan.scanlan@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4549
http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/081606/met_developer.shtml
The Times-Union
A proposal to build a 104-unit condominium at a marina at the south end of Mandarin has been canned by its developer after almost a year of vocal opposition from residents. Julian LeCraw and Co. will withdraw the rezoning request it needed to build the condominium and mixed office/retail on a 6.8-acre site at San Jose Boulevard and Julington Creek Road. Instead, spokesman Michael Munz said the developer bought the property Aug. 8 and should unveil plans this fall for “a retail destination the community can be proud of,” coupled with improvements to the existing marina. “We will probably start over with some new, fresh ideas that keep strong focus on the marina and bring in what we heard from the community — some said they wanted restaurants or a marina store, those kinds of nice retail community facilities,” Munz said. City Councilwoman Sharon Cope-land, whose district includes the marina, said she is glad the condominium project is gone. “I had just as many concerns as residents,” Copeland said. “… I didn’t want to see any high-rise, and it didn’t fit with the character of the community.” LeCraw’s first proposal was for a 15-story building at the marina at 12807 San Jose Blvd. The marina’s 102 slips and boat storage building would have stayed, leasable by the public. The rezoning was needed to add homes to the site, already zoned for commercial use. But neighbors protested the size and traffic impact at a town meeting in September. They continued to air those concerns even when the developer dropped the height to 11 stories in November, then seven in mid-February, adding retail and office buildings to the mix at the last meeting. Copeland and residents say they still have concerns about the kind of traffic a retail/office facility could have on the crowded road system there. She said the city’s traffic engineering division will have to work on that with the developer.
dan.scanlan@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4549
http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/081606/met_developer.shtml