Crafting a vision for Downtown's city-owned properties

[Tacachale]

The City of Jacksonville owns hundreds of underused parcels across Downtown. While this has been an obstacle to revitalization, it's also an opportunity: by selling off some properties and developing a long-term vision for others, the city can jumpstart efforts to give Jaxsons the downtown they deserve. Here's a look at a few key Downtown properties that, with a little vision, could serve as catalysts to boost Downtown's vibrancy in the near future.

Read more: https://www.thejaxsonmag.com/article/crafting-a-vision-for-downtowns-city-owned-properties/

[marcuscnelson]

Was wondering when this would become a thread.

The linked DIA master plan in the article doesn't work, but this link does.

I wonder how much of the central problem (no long-term vision for city properties) is the result of an inability to politically commit to anything. The parks plan can be vague because you can put up a sign amongst the grass and call something a park, and the parks and paths are either managing existing ROW or pushed by Groundworks Jacksonville or Shad Khan or spiting Tony Sleiman, but having a serious plan to build something like an exhibition hall or a train station or supporting a new museum (without the museum or Khan asking first) is harder and requires buy-in that the DIA can't seem to get from City Hall. But obviously City Hall isn't going to proactively suggest doing anything, so here we are.

The convention center issue remains complicated by both Lori Boyer's aspirations for a larger center and the ongoing push to move the jail regardless of what replaces it. Although surely even if we built the Hyatt Hall and then still moved the jail we could find some related uses for the site anyway, whether to contribute to the convention center or to The Elbow. On a related note, it feels like we're approaching the point of needing to ask Carter to put up or shut up on the Hardwick. Last I checked the current deadline is the end of the year, so if that's not happening we should have the chance to include that parcel too, even if as future expansion space. I also wonder what the Berkman 2 site is still up to at this point, whether that might still be new construction or if it should just get wrapped into Shipyards West. Looking at a map, I actually start to wonder if perhaps that parking lot east of the jail should just also be park, so eventually you have this big L-shaped park from the mouth of Hogan's Creek to the west that then stretches north along Catherine St until reaching the creek again. That'd be impressive, although a lot to maintain.

I think it's obvious that the train station should be a no-brainer at this point. Get both Amtrak and Brightline to the table now and develop the plans for a multi-tenant station, with perhaps an early-phase design for just Amtrak that accommodates the Prime Osborn still existing for now and then a full design for the whole site, especially since I can imagine Brightline wanting TOD to support their service. Even if regional rail is further off, having the structure to eventually support it would be valuable. JTA technically has $3 million or so from the gas tax for PD&E on the station but obviously that's not going to be enough to get things shovel-ready.

I don't know exactly what attraction should replace MOSH but whatever it is, should certainly take advantage of the existing building and the planned park. That's a good site that should be useful.

I wonder how much the Planning & Development Director might have an impact on these plans, as compared to the DIA and obviously City Hall itself. I think it'd be cool if one of the brain trust here was in that job.

[thelakelander]

When we did the mobility plan with the planning department, we were basically told to stay out of downtown. That was the DDA/JEDC's....now DIA's stumping ground.

[Jax_Developer]

The sad reality is that there is still so much acreage that makes our city look like the suburbs of Detroit or St. Louis. Caved in roofs, speculative lot owners with debris & trash everywhere.. I mean really our DT has a gas station being built on a 1+ acre.. DT. That really says something about our city.

- Downtown Jacksonville's land is closed system, being traded by a group of people that control disproportionate percentages of DT
- The folks that do get the option to deal with DT land, do not see Downtown Jacksonville the same way the "people do"
- A 9-figure business believes in building out a development with a 0.1 FAR or something like that

We keep banging our heads wondering whats going on.. meanwhile those that are trading the land see it as something completely different than the people living here. Think of Amkin, or that new group consolidating land north of the CC.. think about how much they own and how little anything has changed during their ownerships.

The ONLY way any of this changes is banning uses, and implementing regressive taxes to motivate landowners to act. Right now, everyone is waiting for everyone else. City owned land doesn't change much, other than you have more hoops to jump through to make it happen. Worse part is too, you usually have to start by a certain date. Can't be speculative then!