Redeveloping Hemming Plaza

[thelakelander]

Isn't the library essentially IN Bryant Park?  How vibrant is Bryant Park's Outer Square?  Are the surrounding buildings across the street from the park open seven days a week?  Does two sides of Bryant Park face structures with only one entrance the entire block, which happen to open from 8-5 Monday - Friday only?  What takes place on a park's perimeter is just as important as what takes place in it.

[BridgeTroll]

Took a stroll through Hemming last night at Art walk... Saw a few who could have possibly been "homeless"... most were orbiting about the periphery... one group was playing cards(gasp).  Removing chairs, benches, tables and trees is NOT the answer for Hemming... the answer is right in front of us.

[thelakelander]

You can't help but notice that the park doesn't look too bad when more people are in it.  Programming and additional amenities are clearly the answer.  The talk of removing things, flattening it and getting rid of the fountain should not even be on the discussion table. 

[jcjohnpaint]

Exactly.  I used to think the problem was corruption.  I now think it is stupidity.  I continuously think of what Ron Chamblin said about how hard it is to get a startup business going in such a toxic environment.  He should have got paid for his service to the downtown (or awarded grants/ tax breaks or whatever).  Whoever the people(s) that make downtown a toxic business environment must be removed or nothing will change.  But my question is... who are they?  I mean downtown contributes such a pathetic tax revenue for the city that one cannot possibly use such an excuse.  What is the excuse to make downtown so hard to survive in?  To pay for unsustainable sprawl in other parts of the city?  You can see how one problem becomes another problem and another problem and sold to the people as another problem (bums in Hemming Plaza)- to by fixed my f***n musical chairs- that will cost us dearly!

[strider]

Isn't the truth that Jacksonville is far from alone in it's struggle with Downtown?  Or even the rest of the issues that are found across the city?  The key seems to be how each city handles it's issues.  Do they give police powers to their code enforcement departments?  Do they mow down their historic structures?  Do they remove trees and destroy parks just to move on a group of people the leadership does not like? 

When you look at how this city reacts to issues, the steps the leadership seems to prefer to take, you realize that all those actions are hindering someone.  Don't like a group of people in a park?  Hinder their ability to be there.  Don't like the fact that owners of historic structure can't afford to fix it?  Hinder their attempts at doing anything with it so you can tear it down.  This city has gotten very good at hindering to solve its problems.  The problem is, problems are seldom solved that way, they have a tendency to fester and get worse.

It sounds overly simplistic, but problems are far easier to solve by helping.  You help that home owner figure out how to stabilize his structure and then who wins?  The entire community because the structure is made safe and is preserved for better times.  The same works for Downtown.  The ways to help have been stated on this forum many, many times.  Make it inviting to be downtown. Make parking free and easy.  Help those people in the park with a day center.   Help that lunch crowd by letting the food trucks set up by the park.  Improve the sitting arrangements in the park, don't take them away.  Don't give cash incentives to huge corporations that take the money and run, but give it to the small mom and pops that will open downtown and stay a while.

Simple, easy.  Help not hinder.

[simms3]

I think all cities do at least a little bit of "hindering" as you say, and all cities have torn down and made mistakes before.  As we have all basically stated, I think the main difference is that many other cities have also accomplished attracting and growing businesses in their CBDs, and have enacted policies that work whereby they don't have to literally beg a mid-size company just to come to downtown (all at the same time as literally running small businesses out).

Every city has a homeless "issue".  Look at DC and San Francisco, parts of Manhattan and Chicago's Loop/South Loop.  All of these areas are fine with their homeless overall, but all of these cities have also shipped homeless out and "hindered" them in some way at some point.  The difference is that they also created environments for non-homeless people to work, prosper and enjoy.

[Tacachale]

^Jax certainly isn't alone. Basically every city's downtown declined mid century. Every one of them has struggled to find their footing and made serious errors. However, many of them have found ways to recover to various levels. There are quite a few downtowns that are at our level or worse, but ours is pretty low on the list. Even compared to the rest of Florida, which is characterized by depleted urban cores and booming postwar "new growth" in low density suburban and exurban areas, our downtown is behind basically every other large city in the state.

On a positive note, look to Orlando - a place with even worse sprawl, with even more of its population living away from the urban core, and with even more to do away from the city. But in spite of that they've managed to cultivate a nice urban environment 24 hours a day. If they can do it, anyone can.

And, it should be noted, downtown Orlando has a much worse homeless issue than downtown Jacksonville. But no one cares.

[wsansewjs]

The REAL solution to Hemming Park is PEOPLE.

Add something that will drive PEOPLE to the park.

The subcommittee members can't even grasp this bloody-hell simple concept.

-Josh

[crwjax]

If the trees are "distressed", is there no consideration of replacement.  Shade in this town, for most of the year, is inviting and should be considered an asset.  The idea that the city would spend money to remove healthy trees from this (or any) park is one that I cannot understand.  Less trees = Less inviting = Less people.

If we are serious about bringing businesses and residents to the area, this is a critical decision.  I completely agree with Ennis in that to get more utility out of the money spent investment in studying and resolving the dead zones on the perimeter of the park.

[John P]

What happened to this sub committee discussion? I dont remember ever reading anything that came of this.

[KenFSU]

City Council OKs $1 Million Hemming Plaza Contract

http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory.php?Story_id=543741