by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer
The past few months have not been good for the Landing.
Kabuki closed for remodeling, reopened, then abruptly closed again — permanently. The owners of Legends Sports Bar and Bourbon Street Raw Bar & Grille stopped paying rent and arrived one day to find the doors locked. The Lerner Store didn’t renew its lease, sold off its inventory and closed. And, St. Johns Tavern & Grille, above Legends, closed several months ago and nothing has replaced it.
Not only have those five closures cost many people their jobs and cut down on an already limited downtown lunchtime menu, they also represent five of the Landing’s biggest spaces.
With the Super Bowl Host Committee touting the Landing as one of the focal points during the week of the 2005 Super Bowl, high turnover and vacancies don’t look good now and won’t go over well in two years.
Although Landing general manager John Kiddy says new tenants are being found for several of the vacancies, the question still pops up: What’s wrong with the Landing?
According to Jacksonville Economic Development Commission executive director Kirk Wendland, the Landing is suffering from the fact that, when built in 1986, it was ahead of its time and today needs an overhaul to help its perception of being an event-only destination.
“One of two things need to happen,” said Wendland. “Either Rouse [the Baltimore-based company that owns the Landing] needs to become recommitted to it and make some significant changes — they continue to pound the parking issue but the fact is that at night and on weekends, parking is not an issue because no one is there — or decide they are not committed to the Landing and put it up for sale.”
Wendland said that he has heard talk that Rouse may be interested in selling the Landing, but stressed that the City and the JEDC have not heard anything formal.
Kiddy says parking is the main issue plaguing the Landing and until the Humana garage is built the problem won’t get solved. He acknowledged the Landing has an image problem, but insists the City isn’t doing enough — despite waiving the Landing’s land rent fee of $100,000 the past couple of years — to help.
“There are perception problems but the fact is the City still owes me parking. And the hotel market needs to pick up,” said Kiddy, adding a bigger Osborn Center with bigger conventions could go a long way to solving many retail and restaurant issues downtown. “It’s a big decision the City needs to make. I’d like to see the convention center expanded, but I’m OK with it where it is. The debate should be whether we need a bigger facility and not get bogged down with where it is.”
Almost since day one, the Landing has tried to separate itself from Jacksonville’s other malls. A few national chains — Hooters, Body Shop and Foot Locker — have been mainstays for years. The rest of the Landing has been occupied predominantly by specialty stores and restaurants with little or no national name recognition. Kiddy says it will be a while before the Landing becomes home to a Chili’s, an Outback or retail outlets such as Nike, adidas, Gap or Old Navy.
“We won’t get national tenants until the convention business grows,” said Kiddy, who has been GM at the Landing for the past six years. “Until the out-of-towners, tourists and conventions are in town for a week, that’s not going to happen.”
Super Bowl Host Committee director of communications Heather Surface said there’s no sense of urgency concerning the Landing. With the game two years away, there’s plenty of time to help new businesses — well-known or not — establish themselves.
“John Kiddy is on the Host Committee and we will be working with Rouse and the Landing closely,” said Surface. “Our Retail and Hospitality Subcommittee will be addressing product and services not just at the Landing but all over downtown.”
One Landing business, Body Shop, would welcome an influx of recognizable retail stores and restaurants even if it meant competition. According to Body Shop assistant general manager Mia Preston, foot traffic is the ultimate driving force for Landing businesses and the more reasons people have for visiting the Landing the better for all.
“We have a lot of tourists that come in here and ask for things you can’t get at the Landing. We have to send them to one of the malls,” said Preston, adding the Landing seems to lack an affordable, attractive mix of stores. “There are too many high-priced clothing stores. Tourists are already spending a lot of money and they don’t want to come here and spend even more money.”
Preston said too often customers are simply looking for things no one seems to offer downtown.
“I get women in all the time looking for hats, gloves, perfume, panty hose and bras,” she said. “We don’t offer that and no one else does.”
Wendland says there’s no short-term solution for the Landing and the JEDC is not about to get into financially assisting every new business that wants to open at the Landing.
Still, Wendland hopes that between the influx of downtown housing and the Super Bowl, the Landing will once again become a downtown destination with something for everyone.
“We’re frustrated,” said Wendland. “We’ve made a tremendous commitment to downtown. The only time I hear anything from Rouse is a complaint about parking.”
Kiddy said several empty storefronts are being addressed immediately and within a few months there could be three new restaurants.
“In the Legends space, there’s a tenant — Benny’s Seafood & Steaks — moving in late next month or in early March,” said Kiddy. “The space where Bourbon Street was should be filled up in late March and I’m meeting with a restaurant owner today [Wednesday] about the space where St. Johns Tavern was. Down the road, Kabuki may become a nightclub again.”
Kiddy said the Lerner space will be difficult to lease because of its location, size and design. At 9,000 square feet, Kiddy said there is the possibility it could be remodeled and leased to a couple of different tenants. Also, he expects demolition work for Compass Bank — which is moving from Independent Square to the space formerly occupied by Georgiou — to begin this week.