Steve Williams Calls For 'Mapping Jax' Project

[Tacachale]

In a newly released video, Jacksonville entrepreneur and urban advocate Steve Williams teased 'Mapping Jax,' an initiative to bring Jacksonville citizens together to advocate for smart development - and an end to the demolition of significant buildings.

Read more: https://www.thejaxsonmag.com/article/steve-williams-calls-for-mapping-jax-project/

[thelakelander]

I love this. Steve is 1000% right. A plan or roadmap that everyone can have access to and understand is definitely in order.

[Charles Hunter]

Haven't watched the video yet, so he may cover it there.
Interesting that he cites the Groundworks Plan - presumably the Emerald Necklace

He stated that there are great projects coming online, like the plan spearheaded by Groundwork Jax

Yet, he laments the potential demolition of the Times-Union building - which seems essential for the first phase of the Necklace.

"The rumors of the Landing going away, and then confirmation of the Landing going away, and the rumors of the Times-Union going next... it just felt like time to use my voice."

Can McCoy's Creek be "daylighted" without demo of the TU?

[thelakelander]

I assume he's talking about the TU's mid-century office building. It appears the creek runs between the office building and the printing plant.

[Tacachale]

Haven't watched the video yet, so he may cover it there.
Interesting that he cites the Groundworks Plan - presumably the Emerald Necklace

He stated that there are great projects coming online, like the plan spearheaded by Groundwork Jax

Yet, he laments the potential demolition of the Times-Union building - which seems essential for the first phase of the Necklace.

"The rumors of the Landing going away, and then confirmation of the Landing going away, and the rumors of the Times-Union going next... it just felt like time to use my voice."

Can McCoy's Creek be "daylighted" without demo of the TU?

So the comments about Groundwork's plan were from my conversation with him yesterday, not the video. He spoke of that as a comprehensive, well planned project he liked. There may be individual parts of it he doesn't like - he is absolutely opposed to demolishing the old Times-Union building. And from my conversation, it was just the main building (ie not the warehouse) so it would be possible to save it while opening up McCoys Creek, which I believe kind of runs under the space between them.

[Charles Hunter]

Thanks, I couldn't tell where the creek goes under the TU complex from the Groundworks rendering.  I agree, saving the black-and-white office building would be good, but who cares about the printing plant?