Imagine this at Jacksonville Beach

[rjp2008]

http://www.oceanwalkshoppes.com/mediaroom.html

Why doesn't Jacksonville use the power of it's beaches? It wants more business investment, more convention draw ability, more companies, etc. Hello? YOU'RE IN FLORIDA!! Develop the beaches.

With the exception of Orlando and two major university towns (Tallahassee and Gainesville), every other Florida city has reaped tremendous rewards from developing their beaches as a very interesting and powerful destination draw. And one doesn't have to descend into "tourist trapism" to do such a thing. The quiet nature of some areas can be let be as well.

Maybe with Daytona and Orlando so close, people just don't want to bother with entertainment/destination spot draws I dunno.

[Eazy E]

I fail to see what you mean.

We have plenty of hotels and restaurants in Jax/Atlantic beach for tourists, and then the Lodge, Club, etc. for the resort-types.  There are plenty of tourist attractions at the beach, including the beauty of the beaches themselves, without it looking like the disgusting hell holes that are Daytona and Panama City, for example.

[xian1118]

Oceanwalk Shoppes might be the tackiest development on Florida's east coast. I think we'll leave that to Daytona Beach.

Anyone that has lived at the beaches will agree that our coast is already over-developed. I have zero desire for developments that contribute to making Jacksonville a spring break hot-spot.

[copperfiend]

I fail to see what you mean.

We have plenty of hotels and restaurants in Jax/Atlantic beach for tourists, and then the Lodge, Club, etc. for the resort-types.  There are plenty of tourist attractions at the beach, including the beauty of the beaches themselves, without it looking like the disgusting hell holes that are Daytona and Panama City, for example.

I agree with the 'hell hole' comment on Daytona. I stayed there for a few days last year. That place is a dump. I hadn't been in at least 5 years and now I remember why. I did eat at this OceanWalk. I think we're fine without a similar development.

[Eazy E]

Oceanwalk Shoppes might be the tackiest development on Florida's east coast. I think we'll leave that to Daytona Beach.

Anyone that has lived at the beaches will agree that our coast is already over-developed. I have zero desire for developments that contribute to making Jacksonville a spring break hot-spot.

well said.

[jacksonvilleconfidential]

I concur.

[Basstacular]

Already having to deal with some of the people that trash our beaches is enough.  No more development.  No more tourist / spring break attractions.  The beaches are perfect the way they are.

[David]

I agree with the 'hell hole' comment on Daytona. I stayed there for a few days last year. That place is a dump. I hadn't been in at least 5 years and now I remember why. I did eat at this OceanWalk. I think we're fine without a similar development.

SHOOT MAN! you ain't never been down thare fer byyyke WEEEK? woahhhhhhh boy! ain't nothin like putin some leather on and ridin up and down a1a with my "if you can see this, the bitch fell off" t-shirt! and boy, I tell you whut, they got some of the nicest collections of confederate souvenir shops south of georgia.

If that ain't your thang maybe you can go to that internat'ntl speedway, they got some cars rayycin over thare and shooot bub, they go FAYASSST!!

"if you aint first, you're layyyst!" - Ricky Bobby.

[jacksonvilleconfidential]

LOL! My favorite T-Shirt of all time.

[rjp2008]

The "trashiness" is something I encountered as well. Perhaps the row of dated college-crowd bars and nightclubs, with little to offer kids, has something to do with that?

Spring breakers would NOT be the target here. Vacationing families, young professionals and international travellers would be.









 

[Joe]

Why doesn't Jacksonville use the power of it's beaches? It wants more business investment, more convention draw ability, more companies, etc. Hello? YOU'RE IN FLORIDA!! Develop the beaches.

Keep in mind that Jacksonville, as a political entity, doesn't really have beaches to develop. The beaches are mostly seperate small towns. Jacksonville has no authority over Jax Beach, Altantic, Neptune, etc. The only real beachfront real estate in Jax is the Navy Base, Hanna Park, and a few suburban cul-de-sac style developments. None of those will be developed any time soon, if ever.

Also, look no further than basstacular's post as to why the Jax Beaches towns shun development. "The beaches are perfect the way they are." Personally, I find that the Jax Beaches are dirty, podunk, and totally underutilized. But the majority of Jax Beaches residents apparently love it that way. I think they are crazy, but that's their opinion, and they have a right to it.

So the residents of the Jax Beaches will continue to vote to prevent any kind of urban development from "ruining" their little slice of paradise. That's just the way it's going to be.

[David]

I agree with that. I think our city's a notch above having to draw the spring break crowds.

Daytona's fun as a teenager/early 20 something, but I see Jax Beach aiming for a broader, less drunk demographc in the future.

[Eazy E]

Why doesn't Jacksonville use the power of it's beaches? It wants more business investment, more convention draw ability, more companies, etc. Hello? YOU'RE IN FLORIDA!! Develop the beaches.

Also, look no further than basstacular's post as to why the Jax Beaches towns shun development. "The beaches are perfect the way they are." Personally, I find that the Jax Beaches are dirty, podunk, and totally underutilized. But the majority of Jax Beaches residents apparently love it that way. I think they are crazy, but that's their opinion, and they have a right to it.

So the residents of the Jax Beaches will continue to vote to prevent any kind of urban development from "ruining" their little slice of paradise. That's just the way it's going to be.

There have been tons more rental condos and rennovations to hotels made.  3rd st/A1A is (mostly) nice from JTB to Atlantic. Granted, there are some older rundown places on on 2nd and 3rd, but what are you going to do, seize their property and throw up another monstrosity of a condo? no thanks. the beaches truly are fine the way they are right now.  i mean, are the beaches really lacking in tourists?

[Ocklawaha]

Amazing and great development for Daytona's run down boardwalk district. It was still the place to be by 1968=75 and the street scene was like little San Francisco. They even had/have tunnels under the roads at the Beach. These tunnels we're the Western equal to Hong Kong's "Opium Dens". Some had unbelieveable lighting, mirrors, time-travel allusions-music-black light-sand floors.

I agree that our own beaches could use a touch of this for the youth... Well okay, maybe not the opium, but the activities. When I was little, we had a beautiful beach scene, people called the boardwalk at Jax Beach
"Cony Island South". Sadly the back-to-back tropical killer storms, Donna and Dora, tore Jacksonville - Atlantic - Neptune - Ponte Vedra and Mayport to microscopic dust. When it was all said and done, our beaches by 1965 looked like an atomic bomb test site. Lets work together and rebuild our beaches! Anyone up for a new "Hotel Continental?" ...

Wonder what the Streetcar would do rolling down the beachwalk? 3Rd? or? 

OCKLAWAHA

[cline]

Lets work together and rebuild our beaches!

The Beaches do not need to be rebuilt.  As has been mentioned previously, residents of the Beaches prefer their town the way it is and have proven so with their votes.  I'm sure the majority of residents would not be happy with the construction of anOceanwalk Shoppes-type development.