Updated: Laura Street Lighting and Parking Plan

[thelakelander]

Also, let's keep things in perspective.  We're talking about a project that will cost the city $20+ million and another that can be done for under $100k.  For example take the acquistion of the Dance Warehouse on Park Street out of it and you can end up with a better public park in Brooklyn and light Laura between Hemming and the Landing.  Seriously, we should be able to do both for under the estimated cost currently mentioned for Brooklyn.

[spidey]

Lakelander:  Unfortunately, that method of downtown redevelopment is an expensive and unproven one.  There's a serious problem if the city can't see the need or benefit in properly lighting its major pedestrian friendly streets. 

Lakelander: Seriously, we should be able to do both for under the estimated cost currently mentioned for Brooklyn.

One would think so, but let's not forget we are talking about the city here.   Heck, how many tries have there been at building a courthouse  3?  4?  (I've lost count) and they still can't get one off the ground    They just don't appear to have the best track record on developing downtown, or getting projects constructed on time and/or for reasonable prices, although I think we have seen some improvement there lately.

I agree with you that Brooklyn will probably be lit up like a birthday cake.    Hopefully, the City has learned from the previous mistakes, like Laura Street, and are planning on implementing it at the ground floor phase, where it's less expensive, (or they could require it from the developer as part of the development package), to try to encourage a more attractive atmosphere that other developers will want to come to.

[Jason]

Has anyone heard of anymore progress with the city's plans for Laura Street?

[jeh1980]

Has anyone heard of anymore progress with the city's plans for Laura Street?

There's something I just got to know. Did the Metro Jacksonville Group ever presented all this to the city council for a vote? We all due respect, you cool Metro Jacksonville folks may have talked the talk, but can you all walk the walk? Just talking about the problems in downtown on this site and wishing them to go away won't get anything done unless you bring it to the Mayor and the city council's attention.

[thelakelander]

jeh1980, if you only knew.  We do twice as much outside of this discussion board.  If you have ever been to any city hall meetings before, you probably have seen one of us and just didn't know it. 

This particular plan has been presented many times over and elements of it are also a part of the JEDC's new Implementation plan.  Nevertheless, reality revolves around making it a priority and paying for the improvements.  Until that's done, it will remain only a dream.

[Steve]

There's something I just got to know. Did the Metro Jacksonville Group ever presented all this to the city council for a vote? We all due respect, you cool Metro Jacksonville folks may have talked the talk, but can you all walk the walk? Just talking about the problems in downtown on this site and wishing them to go away won't get anything done unless you bring it to the Mayor and the city council's attention.

If you look at the JEDC's downtown action plan, it includes this plan (and more unfortunately, which will raise the cost).

However, the Downtown Action Plan is more of a wish list - it does not identify funding sources.  Thus, this will all happen when Peyton finds a way to give this to ProLogic Consulting (since the grand jury said it wasn't a crime).