Stars align for Downtown Jacksonville's renaissance

[JeffreyS]

Stars align for Downtown Jacksonville's renaissance
Rummell: ‘Trio’ project is close to equity funding
Premium content from Jacksonville Business Journal by Ashley Gurbal Kritzer, Reporter
Date: Friday, November 25, 2011, 6:00am EST


Ashley Gurbal Kritzer
    Reporter - Jacksonville Business JournalJACKSONVILLE â€" Of all the attempts at Downtown revitalization the city has seen over the decades, Peter Rummell thinks this time is different.

There’s a buzz around Downtown, and some redevelopment projects are starting to gain traction. Most importantly to Rummell, for the first time ever, there’s a formal collaboration between business leaders and the mayor’s office.

The shared vision includes a new convention center near the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront    hotel and vibrant city streets lined with stores, bars, boutique hotels and entertainment options to support the convention center.

To make that happen, Rummell and his colleagues at the Jacksonville Civic Council have been offering insight to Mayor Alvin Brown since he took office July 1. The civic council is a group of executives formed in spring 2010 to tackle the city’s most pressing issues, first among them a lifeless urban core

On Nov. 9, Brown unveiled his plan to reform city government, which includes an economic development office and identifies Downtown development as a top priority.

“I hope that what makes [this time] different is that we have a mayor who believes in it,” Rummell said. “I think we have a plan that is rational and doable in the short term, and now we need to get about the business of making it happen.”

Rummell has a track record of making things happen. His real estate career spans more than four decades. The former CEO of St. Joe Co.    and chairman of Walt Disney Imagineering    oversaw the development of thousands of acres of Disney-owned land and is now director of worldwide operations for the Urban Land Institute 

Read more http://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/print-edition/2011/11/25/stars-align-for-downtown.html

[Tacachale]

The potential is clearly there, we just have to make sure we can follow through, at least on some things. I've said it before, but the fact that Orlando has made progress with its downtown proves it can happen literally anywhere.

[tufsu1]

thanks...this is the article I referred to the other day....but I left the office before I could provide quotes from the actual article itself...and then I was out of town yesterday

[mtraininjax]

I won't believe it until I read about in the TU. Too many open promises to believe it now.

[JeffreyS]

I won't believe it until I read about in the TU. Too many open promises to believe it now.

I think that is fair.  I like to read the tea leaves but as encouraging as it sounds tea leaves are all this talk is right now.

[mtraininjax]

Cameron Kuhn lead us all down the primrose path with his hot air. I'll believe it when the trio is done and back in service for a public desperate to see the outcome!

[Seraphs]

The mayor did say he would ask the Jags new owner to move downtown.  This would be great of pulled off.