DIA Chairman Donald Harris: Extend Skyway to Everbank Field?

[thelakelander]

DIA Chairman answers questions about downtown and asks a few of his own, including figuring out how to extend the skyway to Everbank Field.

Harris made points and observations and also raised questions that he apparently wants the authority to answer:

• "If you go back, wouldn't it have been a great idea to put the St. Johns Town Center on the St. Johns River?" he asked, referring to the 240-acre retail, entertainment, hotel and restaurant center at Butler Boulevard and the Interstate 295 East Beltway. He called that a "no brainer."

• Jacksonville needs to define itself and create a brand, with the river being a strong one. "We have the best river," he said. "We have to make the river more exciting."

• The IBM Smarter Cities Challenge report about Downtown, released in October, "has to be the roadmap where Jacksonville needs to go."

• The Laura Street renovation project, which now takes about four blocks from the Landing to Hemming Plaza, should "take another 7-8 city blocks" in the surrounding area, he said.

• How should Jacksonville develop and enhance a Downtown entertainment district?

• How does the City redevelop the vacant Shipyards property along the Northbank riverfront?

• The Riverside and Brooklyn areas near Downtown will change, especially with the 220 Riverside residential and retail project under development. "It's going to look like you're in another place," he said.

• The neighboring San Marco, Brooklyn, LaVilla and Springfield areas all will feed into creating a successful Downtown.

• How can more vacant buildings be filled? Could historical buildings be converted into housing, such as lofts?

• Transportation access must be improved, and Harris twice referred to extending the Skyway to EverBank Field. "We have to do what makes sense. We have to figure out a way to make it work," he said of the Skyway. Referring to an extension to the stadium, he said, "We have to figure out a way to do that."

• How can the City attract more capital investment Downtown?

• "What would be great Downtown is a college, with college dorms," he said. Florida Coastal School of Law, based in Baymeadows, has been studying housing options Downtown for its students but has not released results.

• The authority must define "economic impact" and how incentives should be used.

• Downtown could benefit from "an event every weekend."

• The old Duval County Courthouse site must be addressed, and a convention center is up for discussion.

• Regarding Downtown retail storefronts: "We can get them revitalized."

• The rebuilding of the Southbank Riverwalk should begin in June, he announced.

full article: http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory.php?Story_id=538183

[comncense]

I love the sound of all of these things, but considering this IS Jacksonville we're talking about... I'll believe it when I see it.

[kreger]

Praise Jesus! Amen! This will bring jobs and the skyway goes somewhere people want to go!? I'm all in.

[ben says]

I love the sound of all of these things, but considering this IS Jacksonville we're talking about... I'll believe it when I see it.

+10000

[thelakelander]

As far as mass transit goes, I'd recommend Harris and the rest of the DIA get to know the mobility plan, North Florida TPO 2035 LRTP, etc. and work to coordinate their implementation with the downtown environment and the skyway.  As soon as we start locking into to focusing on downtown only transit, the sound gearing up in the background is the flushing of money down the drain.  DT will only be as successful as its ability to be seamlessly integrated with neighborhoods and destinations outside of it.

[Ocklawaha]

I'd be 'All In' provided that we also create the San Marco (west of the tracks at Atlantic) and Riverside Avenue Station legs. Without even this minimal residential connection the Skyway will remain 'all exits and no entrances.'

We also need a comprehensive multimodal connections as outlined in the mobility plan:

Commuter Rail at Jacksonville Terminal
Streetcar to Riverside
Rail to Gateway
BRT to Arlington and Beaches

[fsujax]

yep. they have to expand and think about the connections to the surronding neighborhoods.

[Ocklawaha]

The one good thing is we now have a new 4 year window to get this moving, miss this and we probably won't see any help for decades.

[JFman00]

Sounds encouraging, and seems like the mindset (optimistic but not pie-in-the-sky) the city needs.

[downtownjag]

I wouldn't extend to Everbank, that's a temporary need filled.  Bring it to Riverside or maybe just to the Brooklyn site.

[Ocklawaha]

Everbank would be great provided the station was closer to AP Randolph and the Arlington Expressway, this way it not only serves all venues it would serve the work-a-day life of the old Florida Avenue community.

[I-10east]

I think that SJTC's current location out in the burbs is a 'no brainer'.

1. Even if condensed (urbanized etc) there would be no kinda room for a large development like the SJTC on the river in DT.
2. Most urban malls tend to be smaller, nothing gigantic like the SJTC.
3. There is something already on the river called the Jacksonville Landing, how bout fixing that up?

Sorry for going off course.

[JeffreyS]

Everbank would be great provided the station was closer to AP Randolph and the Arlington Expressway, this way it not only serves all venues it would serve the work-a-day life of the old Florida Avenue community.

Agree particularly if we can open the Brooklyn platform to correspond with it's new surrounding development.

[Cheshire Cat]

I suppose the City Council will ask how much revenue this extension would bring in and if it will be enough to cover the ongoing expenses of the skyway.  I happen to like the idea but wonder about the funding and ongoing costs.





Diane M.

[comncense]

Not sure if this is off topic but, when does the new JTA Director begin working?