Why Monroe Street Should Not be Rebuilt

[Metro Jacksonville]

Why Monroe Street Should Not be Rebuilt



This graphic illustrates the main issues in the debate between constructing a new Monroe Street alignment verses a public square in the heart of downtown's walkable core.

Full Article
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2011-feb-why-monroe-street-should-not-be-rebuilt

[BridgeTroll]

I cannot believe I missed this.  The article/letter appeared in yesterdays Opinion section of the Times Union... Great job Ennis!

http://jacksonville.com/opinion/letters-readers/2011-02-15/story/guest-column-pedestrians-not-traffic-should-be-downtown

Guest column: Pedestrians, not traffic, should be downtown focus
Posted: February 15, 2011 - 12:

Sometimes a bad promise is better if it is not kept.

Like many others, I was once in favor of keeping Monroe Street open. However, that was when there was a Monroe Street without placing a monster of a courthouse structure over it and half of the block south of it.

With these facts in mind, it's important that we remove the politics and look at this issue from a viewpoint of what is best for the taxpayer.

Here are five reasons why a new Monroe Street alignment should not be constructed.

Circulation

The new courthouse building is 75 feet from Adams Street. Forcing a circuitous one-way street into this area will cause more gridlock, and also goes against the adopted Downtown Action Plan's goals of converting these streets back to two-way facilities.

For those coming from Interstate 95, Forsyth to Clay (the location of the courthouse garage entrance) is superior.

Contextual connectivity

Everyone claims they want downtown Jacksonville to be a vibrant pedestrian-friendly core. Creating urban vibrancy doesn't take a lot of money. It takes connecting and clustering complementing uses within a compact pedestrian-friendly setting to stimulate the synergy needed to support a walkable environment.

During this debate over keeping open Monroe Street open, pedestrian accessibility has taken a back seat. Squeezing a weird street alignment between the courthouse and Adams Street will produce the same pedestrian-hostile environment we've created with State and Union streets.

On the other hand, a plaza gives the opportunity to better integrate an out-of-scale structure with the surrounding area at the pedestrian scale level. Walkability gained through the construction of a public square should not be overlooked.

Safety

About 500,000 people are expected to visit the courthouse annually. The parking garage sits south of Adams Street.

Forcing a new road so close to Adams Street means pedestrians will have to cross four to six lanes of traffic, traveling in a reverse flow, in the 75 feet walk between the parking garage and the courthouse's front door.

This potential death trap can be avoided by not forcing a road in a non-logical location, simply due to a political promise made before the current courthouse footprint was approved by the same individuals.

Grand entrance

Much talk has been about the desire to make Monroe Street a major roadway and an automobile arterial into the heart of downtown from I-95. Historically, Monroe Street has always been a secondary roadway facility.

Regardless of whether it is reconstructed or not, Forsyth and Clay represent the main entrance due to the building's footprint and the courthouse garage's Clay Street entrance.

Since we can't pick up the building and rotate it, we might as well accept these facts and plan accordingly.

Capital costs

The public space is already budgeted. However, additional millions would have to come out the pockets of the taxpayer for the construction of an unnecessary road.

As a fiscal conservative and knowing the limitations of our city's budget, I have to ask myself if spending the money to rebuild Monroe Street is the best use of limited public funds. When I do this, the answer is a resounding no!

I'm also willing to meet at the courthouse site with anyone interested in seeing why rebuilding Monroe Street is not a good idea in terms of downtown revitalization, development, accessibility and taxpayer investment.

Ennis Davis is an architect and urban planner who writes for metrojacksonville.com.



Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/opinion/letters-readers/2011-02-15/story/guest-column-pedestrians-not-traffic-should-be-downtown#ixzz1E7ZHn1m9

[fsujax]

great letter Ennis!

[jcjohnpaint]

Bravo!

[thelakelander]

Here are a few images I took while walking the site with the FTU's Mike Clark.


Looking at the space from the top of the courthouse parking garage. .


Pearl Street.


There's not much distance between where the courthouse steps will be and Adams Street.



Looking towards the federal courthouse.


Looking down Adams Street from the courthouse garage.  All of the buildings down Adams have street level retail space and most of the building fabric is still in place.  Considering the courthouse garage also has retail space, a well designed public space could extend this walkable corridor to Broad Street.  With 500,000 people estimated to walk through the courthouse doors annually, a well integrated project (at street level) could anchor this end of Adams by attracting tenants to empty retail spaces in the area.


Looking at this area from Worman's, a well designed space could also extend walkability up a few blocks of Broad.  On the other hand, another one way street with fast moving traffic gives you more of the same dead environment downtown advocates and city officials claim they want to rid themselves of.


There is a lot of congestion on Monroe Street.  We actually stood in the middle of the street taking pictures for a while.  The only vehicle conflict we came in contact was with a guy who wanted to drive westbound on Monroe (something that two-waying streets would solve). 

Anyway, I have a new proposal for Monroe Street.  That proposal would be to convert a lane of the street into a 12' bike friendly multiuse path, straight through downtown (a 12' path could also be built through the park).  Considering Forsyth Street better facilities heavy auto movement, Monroe could be looked at as an east/west bike arterial.  Here is an example of this in DT St. Petersburg (below).




We could do the same with a street like Pearl or Julia to provide a North/South arterial for alternative forms of transportation.

[BridgeTroll]

I really like the bike lane/path idea.  Here is another reason to NOT rebuild the street.  Security.  In the post 9/11 era it is not wise to have a street like the one proposed running as close as it will to the courthouse...  Note the Standoff distance in front entrance to the Federal courthouse...

[Wacca Pilatka]

Great work and great letter.

[Captain Zissou]

I'd still like to see a couple Free-standing retailers on the site at either end.  My concern is that our city will take this 'park space' and make it look something similar to LaVilla School of the Arts. Something set back and uninviting.  A plaza would be great, but as long as it has active uses and areas made for people to congregate.  (almost) Anything would be better than extending Monroe, but I don't want them taking this as a get out of jail free card to not have to do anything. 

Side note- From above, that front portico looks awful.  It doesn't connect to the building at all.  How Tacky!!  It's like the fake chrome accent pieces people throw on their cars.  No purpose, barely decorative, and trying to be something it's not.

[PeeJayEss]

Anyway, I have a new proposal for Monroe Street.  That proposal would be to convert a lane of the street into a 12' bike friendly multiuse path, straight through downtown (a 12' path could also be built through the park).  Considering Forsyth Street better facilities heavy auto movement, Monroe could be looked at as an east/west bike arterial.  Here is an example of this in DT St. Petersburg (below).[/i]

I like this ^.

Also, it hardly looks like you could fit a street in there.

[Lucasjj]

Nice letter, and glad to see the TU put this out there. However, you said you went out and took pictures with the TU's Mike Clark. Is there any chance this becomes a story, rather than just a letter? I would think a story would get more views, plus it could include the above graphic, which would help people visualize what is going on.

[thelakelander]

Don't know.  He had his camera, took pictures and notes.  He also has the pdf version of the graphic in this thread.  Hopefully, they'll use them.

[Dog Walker]

Side note- From above, that front portico looks awful.  It doesn't connect to the building at all.  How Tacky!!  It's like the fake chrome accent pieces people throw on their cars.  No purpose, barely decorative, and trying to be something it's not.

It's a copy of the Temple of Athena in Athens except that it is going to have a giant, gold and ivory statue of Judge Moran in it instead of the goddess.

[KuroiKetsunoHana]

^i hope you're joking.  that sounds like just about the tackiëst thing imaginable.

[dougskiles]

I absolutely LOVE the bike lane concept.  What would it connect to?

[thelakelander]

Off the top of my head, if JTA would incorporate bike lanes with their downtown BRT project (they're reconstructing Jefferson and Broad on the Northbank), it would directly tie into Hendricks Blvd/San Jose via Broad Street, right at the courthouse square.  Going north (again, if we could get JTA to incorporate it into their BRT plans) it could connect DT with Shands, Springfield and points north, including the Hogans Creek Greenway.  As Jacksonville's inner city bike network is developed, it could serve as a major east/west bikeway arterial through the downtown core.