Beach & Hodges: A Disaster of Jacksonville's Making

[thelakelander]

Forgot to mention that the same developer that did Oakleaf Town Center, which is a crappy little thing, also did Edgewood Retail District.

There is no incentive at the moment to create high density mixed-use developments in Jacksonville.  The zoning codes don't require it, and frankly it's way cheaper to build something like Pablo Plaza than it is to build Edgewood.  So, if zoning codes give you the incentive to build it this way... why do it differently?

You can't fault the developer for building the way the city is allowing you to do so..

Bingo!  The mobility plan provided that incentive by tying the mobility fee  into the equation with land use policies.  Unfortunately, the moratorium took that incentive away.

[Dashing Dan]

Unfortunately Beach & Hodges is beyond the reach of the context sensitive street design guidelines - too bad.

[mbwright]

Jacksonville is a mess.  When property is readily available, and cheap, there is no reason for infill, and maximum use of land.  Large acrage of parking lots, miles away from the stores is common.  I grew up in Southern Californina (very car heavy)  but often pedestrian friendly.  I would much rather have a well used, well lit, covered parking garage, over wide open parking.  Case in point, the Avenues Mall has a parking garage on one end of the Mall.  This easily grants close access to the mall, especially during bad weather.  Open malls like St Johns Town Center work in areas where it does not rain, and is not too hot or too cold.  Some may love it, but try getting from Target to Dick's, during the summer heat and rain.  I would much rather be in South Coast Plaza, than the SJTC.  Parking garages are unsafe, when few use them, they are dark, and un monitored (like many in Downtown).   Our current zoning allows and encourages poor land use and development.     

There is no incentive at the moment to create high density mixed-use developments in Jacksonville.  The zoning codes don't require it, and frankly it's way cheaper to build something like Pablo Plaza than it is to build Edgewood.

as said before-- So, if zoning codes give you the incentive to build it this way... why do it differently?

You can't fault the developer for building the way the city is allowing you to do so..

Bingo!  The mobility plan provided that incentive by tying the mobility fee  into the equation with land use policies.  Unfortunately, the moratorium took that incentive away.

[riverside planner]

I'm not certain of all of the details, as I was a very new planner at COJ at the time he was leaving, but can say that at this time the MPO was part of the COJ Transportation Planning Division, which was part of the Planning and Development Department.  It is my understanding that he and the planning director had some significant clashes.

Is it Jeannie Fewell that you are referring to?

Yep.

[Abhishek]

Planning seems to have lost meaning. Widening roads due to some future projection of usage has never solved the problem...only postponed it. Sidewalks and bicycle infrastructure are an after-thought. No one wants to challenge the stagnant codes that guide their construction. Engineers and so-called Planners seem to be restricted to their respective guide books (MUTP-D etc) because they can get their hands slapped if they don't. Who writes these books? How can we make them write it differently?

[thelakelander]

Unfortunately Beach & Hodges is beyond the reach of the context sensitive street design guidelines - too bad.

Everything is beyond reach. With the change at city hall, its just a colorful document with no teeth.

[thelakelander]

Planning seems to have lost meaning. Widening roads due to some future projection of usage has never solved the problem...only postponed it. Sidewalks and bicycle infrastructure are an after-thought. No one wants to challenge the stagnant codes that guide their construction. Engineers and so-called Planners seem to be restricted to their respective guide books (MUTP-D etc) because they can get their hands slapped if they don't. Who writes these books? How can we make them write it differently?

Calvin Burney will be able to if the mayor's office and council decide it's worthwhile.

[thelakelander]

Unfortunately Beach & Hodges is beyond the reach of the context sensitive street design guidelines - too bad.

Everything is beyond reach. With the change at city hall, its just a colorful document with no teeth.

Btw, i think Beach and Hodges falls within the mobility plan's urban area. Thus, the CSS guidelines would apply if adopted by the city in some sort of fashion. However, the more important thing that needs to be addressed is a complete revamp of Jax's zoning and land use regulations, IMO.

[thelakelander]

Unfortunately Beach & Hodges is beyond the reach of the context sensitive street design guidelines - too bad.

Everything is beyond reach. With the change at city hall, its just a colorful document with no teeth.

come on guys.  a little faith.

I have lots of hope with the new administration. I'm just being honest about the status of the Context Sensitive Streets guidelines. They have not been adopted thus they have no teeth.

[tufsu1]

This is the problem with term limits I think.  Not enough institutional knowledge gets passed along to continue good things.

This is also the problem with letting the city be run by blue ribbon commissions, like the recent "Charter" commission, which held a bunch of meetings about the structure of the government, with little to no input from the public itself, and decided that important positions having to do with the long term management of the city should still be political appointments at the pleasure of the mayor.

How is this working out for us all in terms of the JTA, the JEA, Planning, or the vaunted JEDC?

well JTA and JEA are "independent" and thus not significantly affected by changes in elected officials

[I-10east]

Blah blah blah *only in Jax* blah blah blah *every other city like San Diego gets it right* blah blah blah *way too many typical chain franchises* blah blah blah blah blah * SJTC is very poorly laid out* blah blah blah blah *I blame the city's admin at the time this disaster was created* blah blah blah.........

[JeffreyS]

342 people dead and our City Council says let's pass the Mobility Fee Moratorium and see if we can promote more of this.  I am sure none of our insider GOB developers are those pedestrians and as long as they profit who cares about the carnage.

Everyone of you Council Member sell outs voted for more of these deaths. Sleep well.

[tufsu1]

Really TUFSU?  Who appoints their boards?

that would be the Mayor and Governor.....which is why I said "not significantly affected"....keep in mind that board members serve multi-year terms, which rarely coincide with elections

[Charles Hunter]

Good article, but it didn't say if those exemplar cities have the type of zoning codes being promoted here.  Are those good developments because they are required by zoning code, or because the economics of the site make it worthwhile?  Can't be because the developer is a "good guy" that does this kind of thing, else they would have done it here, despite our zoning code allowing and encouraging bad development.

[thelakelander]

I can't elaborate in detail right now but site economics don't drive good or bad development patterns. Before Miami went to Form based codes, it was full of poorly laid out high density developments.  If Jax wants more quality development, the change starts with its zoning and land use policies.