Above Jacksonville's Southside

[Metro Jacksonville]

Above Jacksonville's Southside



Given the opportunity to participate in a recent missionary trip flight out of Craig Airport, Metro Jacksonville's Ennis Davis shares views of Jacksonville's Southside and a few other places from 3,000 feet above.

Full Article
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2012-nov-above-jacksonvilles-southside

[Adam W]

Great pics, Ennis. It must've been amazing having the opportunity to see the city and the State from that perspective.

Re the Tamaya development: has permission been granted for them to not build the roadway, or is the decision pending?

Out of curiosity, do you know when they renamed the airport to "Jacksonville Executive at Craig Airport?"

[Noone]

Nice pics. Happen to see any manatees from the air?

[Charles Hunter]

I think the airport renaming took place within the last year.  The Aviation Authority wanted to name it "Jacksonville Executive Airport", without any mention of "Craig."  They added "at Craig Airport" back after lots of community opposition to snubbing him.

[thelakelander]

Great pics, Ennis. It must've been amazing having the opportunity to see the city and the State from that perspective.

It was a pretty nice perspective.  On that particular day, it was kind of hazy but some of the most interesting scenery is came paralleling the St. Johns River to Central Florida.


Tick Island and Lake Woodruff near DeLeon Springs.


Bear Island in Crescent Lake and Crescent City.

Nice pics. Happen to see any manatees from the air?

Not at 2,500 and 6,500 feet high.  However, did see a few power plants.  Here's the coal plant near Palatka.

[Charles Hunter]

Nice pics.
mmmm "Tick Island" - sounds like a great place to ... avoid

[Adam W]

I think the airport renaming took place within the last year.  The Aviation Authority wanted to name it "Jacksonville Executive Airport", without any mention of "Craig."  They added "at Craig Airport" back after lots of community opposition to snubbing him.

Thanks. It's an awkward-sounding name. I grew near there and probably will always think of it as Craig Airport, so I guess I can appreciate local opposition to the removal of the name.

[Lunican]

$200 million has been invested in the community's roadway network in order to facilitate its long term growth.  Today, nearly 1,000 people call Nocatee home.

Anyone still wondering if sprawl is affordable?

[Ocklawaha]

Actually 1,000 people is incorrect for Nocatee, it should read 1,000 families.

"We are thrilled with Nocatee's momentum and growth," said Richard T. Ray, Managing Partner with the PARC Group.  "Achieving the milestone of 1,000 families speaks to the consumer confidence in the community and the builder product offered in our seven neighborhoods. Nocatee's success is in large part due to our builders and industry partners' perseverance and expertise."

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

Let's keep the families out of Nocatee....

The well maintained, hardly used, curvy 2 laned highways make for a nice racetrack for both sportbikes and sportscars.

I don't think I'd feel safe at 140mph if I though Doris and her SoccerMom SUV might pull out at any moment.

[thelakelander]

For further clarification on Nocatee's 2010 census population was 1,200 residents living on 23.48 square miles.  At the time, according to Nocatee's website, they had around 500 families. With 1,000 families that would put them in the range of 2,400 to 3,000 residents or so.

"Our builders are very pleased with the activity so far in 2010," Ray said this week.

Currently, about 500 families, or 1,500 people, live in Nocatee.

http://www.nocatee.com/news/nocatee-news/2010/08/19/st-johns-adds-more-school-buses-for-growing-nocatee.aspx

Overall, it has a long term buildout for a population of 30,000 over 23.48 square miles of land area.  That should eventually give it a buildout density somewhere around 1,278 residents per square mile.  Of interesting note, Lunican's Lakeview neighborhood in Chicago, has 94,368 residents living within a 3.16 square mile area.  That's a population density of 29,863 residents per square mile.

[cline]

For further clarification on Nocatee's 2010 census population was 1,200 residents living on 23.48 square miles.  At the time, according to Nocatee's website, they had around 500 families. With 1,000 families that would put them in the range of 2,400 to 3,000 residents or so.

Man they're really killin' it now with 3k people.  I guess Nocatee Parkway and the overpasses PARC built are really paying off.

[fsquid]

For further clarification on Nocatee's 2010 census population was 1,200 residents living on 23.48 square miles.  At the time, according to Nocatee's website, they had around 500 families. With 1,000 families that would put them in the range of 2,400 to 3,000 residents or so.

Man they're really killin' it now with 3k people.  I guess Nocatee Parkway and the overpasses PARC built are really paying off.

helps me get to the beach quicker.

[tufsu1]

well ok then...guess the exppressway is worth it

[spuwho]

Some responses of the view of Southside from up high....

While I know you were contrasting the cost of the BJP as comparing some kind of transit options.....

- Atlantic & Kernan was an intersection of death for many years...it was #1 in Jax for accidents prior to the bridge. This intersection had to be remediated, no transit option was going to fix the issues.
- Beach & Kernan bridge...IMHO, this bridge has some very fascinating engineering going on. It was designed to have pitch, bow and also was built as a turn. It has no center piece holding it up. It was also built in a hurry because FDOT was in the middle of rehabbing US90 and JTA/FDOT didn't want to have to tear up Beach again when the bridge got built. JTA took some licks for that decision in their audit of BJP.
- Also remember that the Atlantic/Kernan and the Beach/Kernan updates facilitate improved hurricane evacuations. Now with 4 major E/W routes with the draw bridges removed. No transit option can replace that in the event of natural disaster.

Lake, if you look a little closer at Kernan, they did build out a very pedestrian friendly bicycle/running paved trail from Atlantic all the way to UNF. Driving down it shows it is used very heavily especially between Beach and JTB by the UNF students.  It is easily overlooked. The only miss is that the bridge wasn't built to include it, you have run the gauntlet of lights at Beach to get across.

JTA purposely added 2 left turn bays on Kernan at Alden for the future Tamaya 4 lane connector to Hodges. They shouldn't let them off the hook, that connector would have been a small but useful reliever of local traffic using Beach to reach Hodges.

Your pictures also clearly show where the BJP ran out of money. Kernan goes from 6 lanes going north to only 2 lanes between Atlantic and Wonderwood. This causes extreme backups in the AM/PM rush as there are several schools (Landmark, Sabal Palm & Waterleaf) in that 2 lane stretch.

Another miss on the Kernan BJP southside expansion, they purposely left out a bridged school crossing in support of Kernan Trail/Middle School. After 2 years of 60+ mph, they placed 15MPH warnings now which defeats the purpose of a 6 lane Kernan to begin with. Finally, the landscaping JTA required has been left to its own survival. After a month of watering, they stopped and now one by one the trees they planted are dying.

Where should future transit go to support the Southside?

With so many places that could support permanent transit options (meaning non-bus)
- FSCJ
-UNF
-SJTC
- Beaches
-Deerwood Park
-Avenues District
- Future Cruise Terminal

I am impressed that you actually checked the density levels in the Baymeadows area. Keep it up, I am certain you will find that not all developments in the Southside are not all that country clubbish in density. Some are, many aren't.

Of final note, there are no McDonalds, Burger Kings or Chik Fil A's in the Kernan Southside corridor.  But yes, Mr. Sleiman does own 3 corners at Atlantic and 1 at Beach.