Northeast

A Retail Revival

For 16 years, the Rev. James B. Sampson has been on a mission -- a quest that has stretched from the pulpit of his First New Zion Missionary Baptist Church to the boardrooms of downtown Jacksonville.

His goal is simple: To give residents of his Northside neighborhood a chance to shop, eat and see a movie without having to drive to the city's more affluent suburbs.

Now, thanks to Sampson's tenacity -- and financial support from two partners -- Hope Plaza, a $30-million retail/office complex at I-95 and Clark Road, is poised for development.

"It will be like an oasis in the middle of a parched desert," says Sampson.

Hope Plaza is among a handful of retail complexes sprouting in northeast Florida. Shoppers who for years have complained about the region's lack of quality retail are about to have their prayers answered, with numerous projects under construction.

Among the most anticipated are St. Johns Town Center, a 1.5-million-sq.-ft. upscale complex, and a $60-million renovation of the riverfront Jacksonville Landing.

Super Bowl Scramble
While hosting Super Bowls is old hat in places like Miami and Tampa, preparations for the NFL championship next February have city business and political leaders in a lather. Super Bowl organizers, who see the game as the ultimate validation of the city's emergence as a first-tier business center, have scheduled a flotilla of cruise ships to dock along the St. Johns River to solve their biggest problem -- a shortage of luxury hotel space. Still, city officials have a laundry list of projects -- from a new riverfront promenade to numerous road projects -- they will be lucky to complete before kickoff.

JACKSONVILLE
Person to Watch: The multibillion-dollar Better Jacksonville Plan has a new boss -- Dan Kleman, the city's new chief operating officer and its highest- paid employee. The former Hillsborough County administrator and Tallahassee city manager will be responsible for keeping the massive urban renewal project on track.

Business to Watch: After a disastrous year in which the homegrown supermarket chain became the worst-performing S&P 500 stock, Winn-Dixie Stores hopes to reverse its fortunes with an image makeover and aggressive cost-cutting. Still, several Wall Street analysts wonder if the company will be sold before any meaningful change takes root.

ST. AUGUSTINE
Major Issue: The Coast Guard backed off its plan to tear down the crumbling Bridge of Lions and build a taller, wider span. Instead, it issued a permit to rehabilitate the crumbling 77-year-old structure.

Business to Watch: San Sebastian Harbor Partners of Ponte Vedra Beach begins work on the long-awaited development of San Sebastian Harbor on the city's west end. The $64.9-million project includes an amphitheater, 110-room hotel with meeting facilities, 85-slip marina, 130 condos and retail space.

St. Johns County
Person to Watch: Some call Scott Shine a neighborhood nuisance. Others tout him as a champion of riparian rights. Either way, this surfer/businessman's fight to open beach access points along wealthy Ponte Vedra Beach has exposed the county's double standard when it comes to oceanfront recreation for the rich and not-so-rich. Shine's lawsuit against the county and proposed state legislation he's pushing could force wealthy communities across Florida to open their beaches to the masses.

Developments to Watch: The residential boom continues unabated in northern St. Johns County. Some of the largest tracts under development include:
> Nocatee: 15,000 acres, more than 12,000 homes and a commercial "town center" on the St. Johns/Duval County line.
> Durbin Crossing/Aberdeen: Sister projects with 4,516 homes on 3,360 acres just east of Julington Creek Plantation.
> RiverTown: 4,170 acres, 4,500 homes and 500,000 square feet of commercial and industrial space on the St. Johns River.
> Gate Petroleum/Cummer Trust: Nearly 5,500 acres near I-95 between Race Track Road and S.R. 210. Specific plans have not been announced.

Nassau County
Development to Watch: The county has drafted a master plan it hopes will shape the next 50 years of growth in northern Nassau County. If approved by state regulators, the 37,000-acre Yulee Area-wide Development of Regional Impact will be the largest DRI in state history. In addition to more than 10,000 homes and 3 million square feet of retail and industrial space, the Yulee DRI would preserve thousands of acres for parks and nature preserves.

Clay County
Major Issue: Following a bruising year in which county commissioners approved an unpopular utility tax hike (after voters rejected a sales tax increase for public schools), officials say they still don't have enough money to pay the county's long-term bills. The county is losing workers -- particularly police and firefighters -- while school officials say student overcrowding threatens the county's top education rating.

Putnam County
Person to Watch: Palatka Mayor Karl Flagg is navigating treacherous political waters as he tries to sell the community on an ambitious effort to rehab its historic riverfront. The redevelopment plan, which consultants should complete this spring, calls for a 100-slip marina, hotel, restaurant, conference facilities, condos and retail space. Some residents have complained the plan is too expensive and upscale for this working-class city.

Baker County
Business to Watch: The 880,000-sq.-ft. Wal-Mart regional distribution center continues expanding. This summer the facility will begin shipping bulk goods and refrigerated foods to stores in northeast Florida, southeast Georgia and southeast Alabama. Truck docking facilities will also be added, with the changes creating approximately 50 jobs.

2.4% or
higher1.1% -
2.3%1% or
lessPOPULATION TOTALSCounty???2004Average Annual Growth
?????2000-2004?????TrendBaker23,6961.40%Clay160,3033.14%Duval819,5311.26%Nassau64,7782.81%Putnam72,4790.74%St. Johns144,2123.75%FLORIDA17,239,6461.80%

Tags: Northeast