Developer wants aerial gondolas in Downtown Jacksonville

Jacksonville — He wants to make Jacksonville the “Home of the Jag-Wire”.

Jacksonville-based developer Chase Properties, Inc. is unveiling its vision for an aerial-cable gondola commuter system that would connect Downtown's Southbank and Northbank, with another line on the Northbank running to EverBank Field and Daily's Place. 

“It’s not something that’s pie in the sky, it’s a reality. I think that’s the prettiest river in the world that we could span it with, and so it makes a lot of sense,” says Chase Properties Principal Michael Balanky.

Balanky says the first critical component for sustaining this gondola system would be a new convention center on the Northbank, which is something the Downtown Investment Authority is currently exploring for the site of the old courthouse. Balanky says the convention center would make this system financially viable, as there would likely not be enough demand purely from locals.

On the Southbank, he believes a natural connection would be somewhere near The District, which is a development being pursued near the Duval County Public Schools building. Balanky says he's involved in the development of Kings Avenue Station, at 1202 Kings Ave- which is close to that site and could serve as a possible landing point- although they're still researching what the best points would be.

The eventual locations for the gondolas would also depend on who else comes to the table for the project. Balanky expects there will be a lot of interest from private entities, but he wants this to be a public/private partnership.

“An iconic development like we’re talking about with this gondola could put Jacksonville on the map. It will give us a lot of exposure, it will be a big attraction when people are trying to decide where they want to go to a convention- this thing will be something people talk about,” he says.

He has no immediate plans to bring this proposal to the DIA or City Council, but is starting to pursue meetings with possible stakeholders, including the Mayor’s Office and the Jacksonville Jaguars. Until it’s clear who may partner and how long it could take to bring in a convention center, Balanky says he won’t have a clear timeline on the gondola project, but he hopes it could realistically be within three years.

Part of the question over whether the Kings Avenue Station site would be suitable for the gondolas, is what exactly the development will be. Balanky says he has the right to develop retail/commercial, but is hoping to also add residential on the site. The overall vision is a 28 story, 300 unit residential, office, and retail project. He’s working with the Jacksonville Transportation Authority- from whom he has a long term lease for the site- to try to amend the lease. JTA declined to comment for this story because the Kings Avenue Station lease is under litigation.

In addition to being a “novel” and “iconic” feature to bring to Downtown, Balanky says the gondola system could carry 3,000-5,000 people an hour- serving as a solid transportation system. He also believes the cost of the mull buildout would be “a fraction” of what other systems- like light rail- could cost.

He previously put forward this idea in 2007, but says it fell to the back burner because of economic factors. He believes now is the right time to spark the discussion once again

The Mayor’s Office says they’re not aware of this proposal, and offered no comment at this time on whether the Mayor would support the proposal because he’s out of the office this week.