New growth strategies for St Johns County

[fightingosprey07]

http://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/stories/2008/04/28/focus2.html?b=1209355200^1625125

This is good news, it looks like St Johns County has adopted a new outlook on growth.

[gchasse]

Can you summarize what it says or cut and past the article?  You need a subscription to be able to read it.

[fightingosprey07]

Can you summarize what it says or cut and past the article?  You need a subscription to be able to read it.

Actually, if you go to the frontpage  www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville  and click on the headline "developing transition" you should be able to read it without a subscription.

It basically says that county leaders are trying to emphasize diversification of the local economy. Apparently, afer the property tax reform and residential slowdown, they realized that they needed more variety for their tax base.

quote from the article:

"Manuel expects the county will spend between $500 million and $750 million in commercial investment in the next two to three years, with funding likely coming from the private sector. Along with that investment, connecting St. Johns County to the rest of the region will play a big role in the number of commercial prospects the county receives, he said.

"Our major challenge is going to be to make certain we have the type of connectivity required," he said. "We need to put more energy into improving transportation."

Manuel also pointed to the expansion of the Jacksonville Port Authority as a possible source of economic development in the region. He said St. Johns County is in a good position to get "some of the crumbs from the port," because the county is in a natural position to act as a southern distribution site for port users.

Attracting port users could create a good opportunity to establish more home offices and back offices, which will bring more high-paying jobs to the county and are more aesthetically pleasing than industrial developments, Sacia said."

It will be interesting to see if they stick to their new strategy after the residential market returns and somebody wants to build "Nocatee Two"

[gchasse]

Thank you very much for the details and the tidbit about how to get to the article without having to pay.  I did not realize it would work that way.

Good stuff.

[Jason]

Manuel also pointed to the expansion of the Jacksonville Port Authority as a possible source of economic development in the region. He said St. Johns County is in a good position to get "some of the crumbs from the port," because the county is in a natural position to act as a southern distribution site for port users.

I'd like to know how they plan to become a "southern distribution site".  The north and west sides of Jacksonville already handle the distribution pretty well and many of the hubs and office parks are better linked with rail and highways.  Not to mention the proposed CSX expansion on the northside.

I don't think distribution centers are the types of economic development St. Johns needs to be persuing.  St. Johns should be focusing on bringing and building Fortune 1000 and 500 companies in, especially into St. Augustine.  More highpaying white collar jobs in and around the city centers promoting in-fill should be their priority, not distribution centers and highways.

Furthermore, they wouldn't need the expanded highway systems if their focus was on building up what they have already developed in a manner that limits sprawl and promotes dense in-fill.

[British Shoe Company]

More Fortune 500 companies, less Manuel!

[stjr]

I recently have spent several great days at Guana State Park.  When added to the architecture and history of St. Augustine, Anastasia State Park, World Golf Hall of Fame, TPC, PGA, ATP, Ponte Vedra Inn and Lodge, miles of other beaches, great lands along the St. Johns, and remaining tracts of forest lands, it would bode well for St. Johns County to focus more on uptown tourism centered on eco-tourists, beach lovers, golfers, tennis players, hikers, hunters, history lovers, kayakers and canoeists, unique artists and crafts, etc.  With enough tourists they might also become a greater mecca for fine dining and conventions.  This is St. John's County's greatest strength which it should more aggressively play to.

St. Johns is never going to be a great distribution or corporate hub due to its location and lack of connectivity and I don't think even the outer beltway will be its savior.  Ironically, its encouragement of development at any cost may lead it to squander the very strengths I elaborated on above.

St. Johns should work hard to preserve its remaining natural assets and play to being a playground for those with the desire to enjoy the finer things in life.  I don't know why St. Johns would desire to be another Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa, or Miami.  It doesn't have their history, geography, infrastructure, "personality", etc. of these locations.  It would do better to look at Boca Raton,  Winter Park, St. Petersburg, Naples, Hilton Head (SC), Marin County (CA), Greenwich (CONN), Asheville (NC),etc.  It needs to play off its own unique identity and be more self-confident and satisfied with this.