Live Blog: DIA community Forum

[TheCat]

Packed house. At least 150.

[TheCat]

This is a bit surprising. A lot of familiar faces. Plus three students from Jacksonville university's public policy institute.

I have to do this on my phone. Hyatt has their wifi on lockdown.

About to get started...

[TheCat]

Audra Wallace is at the podium.

So far we re at sidewalk cafes. The main goal for tonight is to get community input.

Audra said something really interesting "the board will lead and he will implement ."


Audra seems tired. He may have come from Detroit but Jacksonville politics might have been the sucker punch he was not expecting.

[TheCat]

The BID strategy is presented by __________.

It's a ten year, market driven plan.

This is called "development financing"

Ways to make development easier for developers.

- city can assist with "sources And uses"

Question : why do we need new development we have so much empty I frastructure.

Answer: merry to round

[TheCat]

Oh god.

I get distracted by terms like energy and synergy. They're hitting this sidewalk cafe thing pretty hard.

This guy is speaking really fAst.

So far....

Connecting riverside to downtown. Better signs now. Cool riverwalk and yes San Marco.

Ms. Stewart, talking big picture.

That means: Lavilla. Shipyards. Former courthouse and annex. South bank. Friendship park.

For all those areas "is this the highest and best use" . Stressed specifically for friendship fountain.

Now the fun begins...questions from the audience.

Q1: long list of suggestions from some group that included Allegreti And Jerry Moran 

Q2: I would like an amusement park . If you start with 15 ft Ferris wheel people traveling will stop. Shark tanks. Lazy river. We can get ferries going up and down the river to the zoo. Big screens TVs. All this to stop the travel traffic through Jacksonville. Employ people.

Q3: partner at void. Working on "connecter" . Two buses that run Feom the beaches to downtown continuously on weekend evenings.

Q3: gentleman just moved downtown from ponte vedra. I've heard all of this. You have ten year projects here. How are you going to get people downtown. You are above addressing the common people.

[TheCat]

Jerry Moran:

More incentives would help. It's very difficult to do business downtown.
Wants to allow for open containers. Jabs at food trucks " we need to help the brick and mortar people's hey are the ones who are there trying to make it happen. 

[TheCat]

Everyone claps after anyone speaks. Very supportive crowd

[TheCat]

Bob Mann just gave an impassioned plea to bring back the street car.

[TheCat]

Q: Bring an aquarium.

Jax zoo speaker: wants an aquarium as a sister organization downtown. We can build a manatee critical care facility. Also, therapy dolphins.

Stephen dare: takes the mic. I do not think you can just open up one or two things and expect downtown to flourish. If you apply the same policies in downtown to town center the town center would fail.

[Intuition Ale Works]

I truly do not understand the purpose of these community meetings.

[TheCat]

Well, we're paying good money for people to have meetings.

Q: expect/legislate developers to add to the skyway not add more parking.

[TheCat]

We could build the worlds largest zip li e

[TheCat]

The often    forum member, noone gets a loud applause.

[fieldafm]

Zip lines, Ferris wheels, aquariums.... yawn.

Jerry Moran: I don't open during Art Walk or Jazz Fest(when people are actually downtown in large numbers)... yet food trucks are the problem. 

Smashingly good ideas!   

[TheCat]

Director of cultural council:

So many art organizations in the city. Arts are what makes cities and fix blight. For every dollar invested in the arts 7 comes back.