Time for less talk, more action

[Steve]

by Mike Sharkey

Staff Writer

Terry Lorince noticed new faces and Ron Barton noticed how diverse the group was before him.

Both were speakers at Wednesday’s joint meeting between the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission, Downtown Vision Inc. and Downtown property owners with an interest in both organizations.

Barton carried most of the hour-plus meeting. While he did talk about some of the things that have plagued Downtown problems and every master plan created to address those problems, Barton’s overriding theme was one of action rather that talk.

He brought the JEDC’s 2007 Downtown Action Plan and talked about the necessity to implement the suggestions in the plan as opposed to ignoring them, then listening as Downtown merchants, property owners and residents complain.

“We don’t need a whole lot more vision,” said Barton, to an audience of around 75. “We need execution.”

Barton said the activity at the Jacksonville Port Authority will serve as a major economic stimulus catalyst for the next decade. And, while some of that growth will permeate to Downtown, the success of Downtown, says Barton, rests primarily on the JEDC and the Downtown business owners and property owners.

“It’s important for the folks in this room to be advocates of Downtown,” he said. “Downtown is the heart of the region, not just Jacksonville. Any great economic driver has a thriving downtown. Downtown needs to be vibrant and inviting.”

Barton said it’s time to concede the Downtown residential real estate market is essentially flat. Rather that focus on that, he said, it’s time to focus on the “horizontal” issues that will complement the vertical projects that have garnered headlines and radically altered the Downtown skyline.

“I think there’s a sense of frustration on the part of those who live here and work here because we have focused so much on the vertical concept,” said Barton, acknowledging that the new sports venues and private developments have changed Downtown for the better and forever. “We have spent hundreds of millions of public and private dollars on the vertical, but we have not paid attention to the horizontal.”

Barton said he has a self-imposed deadline of two years to not just address the issues but see results in such areas as streetscaping, the conversion of many one-way streets to two-way, the walkability of Downtown, safety, cleanliness and others. He also wants Downtown residents and merchants to consider the area a true neighborhood and take pride in that neighborhood concept.

If Barton is successful, there will be major changes at several Downtown landmarks and mainstays as well as major improvements to the Brooklyn and LaVilla districts. According to Barton, it’s been 30 years since Friendship Fountain was touched. He dispelled talk of tearing it out and talked about working with the Museum of Science and History (which he called a bunker) and River City Brewing Company to totally revamp that area of the Southbank.

Barton also said there are plans in the works to renovate Metropolitan Park to include relocating WJCT and possibly Kids Kampus.

“When you are at Kids Kampus you don’t even know you are on the river. The way it’s developed, it doesn’t need to be on the river,” said Barton. “We want to create a signature open space that complements Downtown. A simple plan that uses the park as a driver is more important than ever.”

Barton said the proposed County Courthouse is a project that by law must be built.

“Just build the courthouse,” said Barton, adding he’s been to way too many meetings in which the courthouse was the topic of discussion. “It’s not a discretionary item. The courthouse is not a catalyst if we just continue to debate it. We committed to a plan to move the civic functions to the urban core. This is the last piece of that plan.”

Sheriff John Rutherford said he has met numerous times with Downtown merchants in an effort to address their concerns. He said crime is a challenge not only in Downtown, but in every community in Jacksonville. He likened the Downtown residents and merchants to his Community Service Officers in that they are both badgeless eyes and ears for JSO.

“This partnership is very important,” said Rutherford, explaining how understaffed his department is. “The problem now is deployment. We have a high number of officers in the high crime areas which means a limited number Downtown, which frankly doesn’t have the violent crime.”

Rutherford warned that thanks to its state-high murder rate and record number of traffic fatalities, Jacksonville is teetering dangerously close to becoming a near-lawless town.

“If we don’t turn this thing around, we could be the next Detroit,” he said. “That’s why this partnership down here (Downtown) is so important.”

http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory.php?Story_id=49531

[Steve]

The Jacksonville Economic Development Commission and Downtown Vision Inc. have combined efforts to create a list of priorities for Downtown. Ron Barton, JEDC executive director, explained the following list of initiatives isn’t in an order of importance, but rather resembles dominoes â€" meaning the final steps, or objectives, can’t be reached unless the beginning of the list is addressed.

The following list of initiatives is a summary of the 2007 Downtown Action Plan, which Barton and his staff created by taking the input from five separate task forces, all made up of Downtown retailers, residents and property owners and all charged with carefully examining a single aspect of Downtown living and working.

Barton said many of the items on the list have been implemented or are in various stages of implementation. However, as a whole Barton said, it’s time to stop talking about the items on the list and start doing them.


• Enhance the level of service for “clean and safe” programs

• Develop and implement a comprehensive streetscape plan

• Convert one-way streets to two-way streets

• Create a Riverwalk enhancement plan

• Improve Downtown connectivity by an enhanced trolley system and complementary Bus Rapid Transit system

• Enhance event programming

• Improve wayfarer signage

• Refine approval process and create one-stop shop approach

• Promote workforce housing

• Implement innovative parking programs and parking management initiatives

• Update and implement stormwater management plan

• Initiate a Downtown marketing strategy that emphasizes Downtown districts

• Engage in active, targeted retail recruitment

• Develop an enact a master plan for Metropolitan Park/Kids Kampus

• Redevelop the Friendship Fountain area

• Improve connections from the “emerald necklace” to the river and upland activity nodes

• Identify and facilitate large-scale, catalyst projects

• Create more marine-themed activities and improve marine linkage

[Steve]

Question - what here was not mentioned in the Downtown Master Plan 8 damn years ago!?  Enough of these meetings and planning sessions.  Do the crap already!

[thelakelander]

Did anyone attend this meeting yesterday?  If so, what was your opinion of this event?

[gradco2004]

These meetings are like Pep-Rallys for the Cubs... a lot of hype, but they never deliver. Barton is making very tired with the circular speeches already!

[vicupstate]

My advise would be to start with these two;  These are things that are noticeable yet relatively inexpensive. 



• Convert one-way streets to two-way streets

• Improve wayfarer signage


If you can't show tangible progress on these two, then no one is going to believe that expensive items like Friendship Fountain or the Emeraald necklace will ever get done.

Also, residential may be flat overall, but take this down poin tin the market to opens the door to encourage market-rate projects on city-owned lots.       

[Coolyfett]

• Convert one-way streets to two-way streets

HELLL NOO!!! HELL NO!!! NOT A GOOD IDEA LEAVE THE ONE WAYS HOW THEY ARE!!!! ASK RIVERSIDE HOW THE POST STREET - COLLEGE STREET IS WORKING OUT? TERRIBLE IDEA!!!! SOME THINGS JUST SHOULD NOT BE BOTHERED WITH.

[thelakelander]

What's wrong with the Riverside streets?  Coming from someone who does not live in the neighborhood, it appears that both streets are more pedestrian friendly and traffic moves much slower.  Is this a bad thing?

[Steve]

HELLL NOO!!! HELL NO!!! NOT A GOOD IDEA LEAVE THE ONE WAYS HOW THEY ARE!!!! ASK RIVERSIDE HOW THE POST STREET - COLLEGE STREET IS WORKING OUT? TERRIBLE IDEA!!!! SOME THINGS JUST SHOULD NOT BE BOTHERED WITH.

Actually, I think other than the fact that parallel parking is stupid on both sides of the street, they would tell you that it is working great.  The whole point of converting them back to two-way streets is so they don't turn into freeways.  One-way streets are more friendly to cars, two way streets are more friendly to pedestrians and neighborhoods.  Which would you rather have downtown?

[Springfield Girl]

I attended the meeting with about 18 other Springfield residents. I agree that now is the time to implement these plans. We have been spending bad money after good for all these studies when we all know what needs to be done. Downtown needs to include Springfield as we are the closest residential base and we support the businesses there on a regular basis.

[thelakelander]

One of Downtown's major problems is that the city views it as an island unto itself.  The health and connection of communities like Springfield, LaVilla and Brooklyn are the things that will truly stimulate downtown.  What did Barton have to say about improvements that would better connect Downtown with Springfield?

[thelakelander]

Outside of the skyway (if they build the new station in Brooklyn), its more disconnected from downtown then Springfield is.  It will take decades for growth to overflow from Brooklyn into LaVilla.  I hope the plan for Brooklyn doesn't involve whitewashing it and leveling everything still remaining in that community.  I guess time will tell.

Btw, did he mention when they would break ground on any of the Brooklyn projects?  Grass is now growing where they tore all the buildings down along Park Street.

[Coolyfett]

What's wrong with the Riverside streets?  Coming from someone who does not live in the neighborhood, it appears that both streets are more pedestrian friendly and traffic moves much slower.  Is this a bad thing?

Post street has had 4 accidents and College had 3 in withing the last 2 or 3 months. I lived at the corner of Post & Stockton. Seriously all bs aside man pedestrians should be on the sidewalk. When the change was done it was confusing to many at first. Then you have the few bottle necks that pop up on both College and Post during rush hour. Basically they just turned College and Post into Myra and Forbes...IMO..it was pain to drive on after the change. Then you have the College/Post/McDuff/17 crossing, I have seen 3 wrecks there as well since the change. That area was never a problem the 7 years I lived in Riverside. Accidents suck...I just think it was a bad change.

[thelakelander]

What's wrong with the Riverside streets?  Coming from someone who does not live in the neighborhood, it appears that both streets are more pedestrian friendly and traffic moves much slower.  Is this a bad thing?

Post street has had 4 accidents and College had 3 in withing the last 2 or 3 months. I lived at the corner of Post & Stockton. Seriously all bs aside man pedestrians should be on the sidewalk. When the change was done it was confusing to many at first. Then you have the few bottle necks that pop up on both College and Post during rush hour. Basically they just turned College and Post into Myra and Forbes...IMO..it was pain to drive on after the change. Then you have the College/Post/McDuff/17 crossing, I have seen 3 wrecks there as well since the change. That area was never a problem the 7 years I lived in Riverside. Accidents suck...I just think it was a bad change.

If we went back far enough, there were probably a series of accidents when the streets were originally converted from two-way to one-way streets.  Nevertheless, the streets do feel like neighborhood streets as opposed to the highway feel they had before the change.  Depending on what angle you come from, that could be a good or a bad thing.

[midnightblackrx]

In terms of pedestrian safety, One-way streets have the obvious advantage over Two-ways because pedestrians and drivers need look only one way when watching for traffic.

How many times have you looked both ways when crossing a two-way street, only to be nearly hit by a car coming from the first direction you looked?