by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
An important step toward the July 2011 opening of the Jacksonville Transportation Center (JTC) took place Thursday afternoon. That’s when the Downtown Development Review Board (DDRB) of the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission (JEDC) approved the conceptual design of the first phase of the project.
Conceptual design of the first phase of the Jacksonville Transportation Center
The project will mean a significant design change and improvements to the existing Skyway station adjacent to the Osborn Center. When complete, the first phase will have added two Bus Rapid Transit stations, 12,000 square feet of retail space and a three-story parking garage.
Phase 1 also includes 95,000 square feet of office space that will be occupied by JTA offices, the First Coast Metropolitan Planning Organization and the Regional Transportation Management Center.
Bruce Robbins, senior landscape architect at Reynolds, Smith and Hills, said the development will be built around public space on the north and south sides of the JTC.
The area on the north side will provide access to the retail space for passengers waiting to board buses or the Skyway. Robbins said there will also be three areas designated for outdoor sculpture and a “fountain that will cascade into a pool with seating areas around it.”
DDRB chair Chris Flagg stated the director of the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville’s Art in Public Places program was aware of the outdoor sculpture aspect of the design and has suggested a “competition among artists” to determine who will create the art for the JTC’s open space.
On the south side of the center a more “passive” park will be constructed. The four large live oaks that are currently on the site will be preserved and cabbage palms and other landscaping will also be installed, Robbins said.
“That will be more of a shady, secluded area,” he added.
Architect Ethan Loubriel, associate vice president of DMJM Harris, said his firm worked closely with state and local historic preservation agencies to ensure the design of the JTC would be compatible with the existing historic architecture in the area around the project.
“The exterior design combines red brick similar to that found in the nearby historic buildings as well as limestone and precast concrete,” he said.
After the board approved the conceptual design, Steven Arrington, JTA director of resource development, said, “We have been working on this project since 1992. We’ve gone through many phases with this project.” Arrington added the design has been modified over the years in order to reflect changes in development plans for the surrounding blocks.
“This is as good a situation as there can be and I’m confident it (the JTC) will be a win-win for all involved,” he said.
The new 3-D “virtual Downtown” was also presented to the board. Developed by the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) staff of the City’s Information Technology Department (ITD.) It is a high-resolution computer model of the urban core. JEDC and DDRB will use it to better evaluate the visual impact of future development projects.
Architects will use easily-available software to provide three dimensional scale models of their proposed projects that will be imported into the virtual Downtown. The project can then be fully evaluated in terms of how the structure will fit in with its surroundings and how it will look to pedestrians, for example.
The master 3-D model was based on aerial photographs and Google Earth, then data was added to make every building match its actual appearance said George Chakhtoura, ITD GIS manager.
He also said it is the first time a city the size of Jacksonville has taken the technology to that level and while the virtual Downtown is currently available only to the City, “Google would be very excited to have public access to this model.”
A GIS technician from ITD has been assigned to the JEDC to provide assistance to developers and architects if needed. Effective immediately, proposals for conceptual review are required to submit compatible 3-D renderings as part of the application process.
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