Voted "One of America's hottest cities" in Expansion Management magazine, Jacksonville, Florida is quickly becoming a major site for new development and increased growth. With the expansion of Jacksonville International Airport, located only 9 miles north of the central business district, Jacksonville has seen unprecedented urban, as well as suburban, growth. This widespread expansion is occurring across the Southeast, with Savannah, Georgia quickly catching up to Jacksonville in terms of growth and development.
Savannah Development and Renewal Authorities (SDRA), established in 1992, has begun a 3-phase plan of "renewing, revitalizing, and beautifying the distressed areas of Savannah". SDRA claims that its mission is to increase the economic development in order to strengthen greater downtown Savannah as the economic hub of the region, a prosperous place for business, and as an attractive urban environment for residents and visitors.
A key factor for the increased development in both Savannah and Jacksonville is that both are port cities. This allows easy access and distribution for importing and exporting goods. With the damage to New Orleans' port facilities by the hurricanes of 2005, Savannah and Jacksonville have stepped up and quickly taken over the role as the leading ports of the south. For this very reason, much of the developments occurring in the areas are large-scale industrial warehouses and distribution centers.
Between Jacksonville and Savannah, the door has been opened for significant industrial and retail development opportunities. Randall-Paulson Architects has recognized these important opportunities and hopes to be recognized as a leading and influential force in helping to develop the two rising cities. In the past two years alone (from 2006 to 2008), RPA has received six new projects in Savannah and ten in Jacksonville.
By integrating LEED concepts with sustainable design in the large-scale projects, RPA is aware of the importance in designing buildings that are energy efficient and beneficial to both developers and the community. Currently, in Savannah, RPA is working on a 385,000 sf LEED-aspiring office and light-industrial facility located in Bryan County.
In addition to those projects, RPA has designed numerous other projects in the Savannah region within the past two years. A few recent designs include a 600,000+ sf office and warehouse facility as well as a 7,000 sf interior design project for a large distribution center. Each has allowed RPA to leave its mark in the development of this significant city.
The largest project that RPA is currently involved with is in Jacksonville. The Bridgestone-Firestone distribution center is an outstanding 1,026,502 sf. Bridgestone-Firestone features green design elements, such as the 933 skylights covering most of the ceiling. Also, each light within the warehouse has its own motion detector sensor, giving the building modern technology while conserving massive amounts of energy. In addition to RPA’s mark on the industrial and distribution sectors, there are also other opportunities for retail designs as well. Currently RPA is working on a 54,817 sf Publix located in a more suburban part of Jacksonville. Due to the Jacksonville city's desires for new and modern developments to replace the outdated existing buildings, civil landscape changes have been made to maintain a design in keeping with current code restrictions.
Over time, RPA hopes to continue to play lead roles in the development of Jacksonville and Savannah. Both have the potential to become leading cities within the Southeast and RPA has the amazing opportunity to be a part of their change.
For more information about our Savannah and Jacksonville projects, contact Michael B. Randall at mrandall@randallpaulson.com or Kiley S. Green at kgreen@randallpaulson.com.