Live blogging: Mayor Peyton to announce new downtown plan

[thelakelander]

Peyton views the Bay Street signalization project is a temporary solution to the traffic situation while working for long term solutions (opening the street grid back up).

[CrysG]

I think we need an IKEA downtown, it would bring people to the core.

I vote Ikea, I'm spending to much money to drive to Orlando now.

[thelakelander]

Question asked.  What do we need to do to help move this process along?   The Mayor says the community needs to engage council to move forward, have dialouge and settle on a plan so things will be ready for the next mayor.

I guess this is our chance to poison the discussion with investing in rail as a key component of a future vision.

[thelakelander]

The first phase of redeveloping Kids Kampus will be in the budget this year.  The graphic shown has a public courtyard and interactive fountain with the fire museum as the centerpiece.

[reednavy]

Definetly need to ask about the fountain.

[thelakelander]

Metpark is a go.  Its in the budget.  The Mayor wants the community to encourage the council to move forward.  Kids Kampus appears to be staying in the same spot.  The conference is now over. 

[Joe]

He would like to see the Northbank and Southbank riverwalks be extended to Memorial Park (see hint above) and San Marco.

That would be fantastic. Extending the Riverwalk on both sides of the river would have a greater impact than all these proposed renovations to Met Park, Kids Kampus, and Friendship Park combined.

There's no particular reason that the Northbank Riverwalk couldn't be extended all the way to St. Vincents, and the Southbank all the way to Landon Ave. There are minimal obstacles along such a route.

[reednavy]

Once you get past Memorial Park though, you have private residential docks. The biggest problem is Villa Riva, which owns fthe property along it's river frontage.

[JaxNole]

Let's make it easier for nightlife to cluster in the Bay Street "town center.". Sorry, but four venues would not compel me to drive from Orange Park.

Enough with the studies already.  Commit and take action.  There can be a balance between suburbanites in the cookie cutter neighborhoods and those who have traveled outside the city and wish for culture, nightlife and non-chain restaurants.  Oh, yeah.  Walkability would be nice.

[Seraphs]

Extending the riverwalks are excellent ideas,  any ideas on timelines?

[tufsu1]

I think we need an IKEA downtown, it would bring people to the core.

really....and how would that fit with the street grid?

[tufsu1]

Question asked.  What do we need to do to help move this process along?   The Mayor says the community needs to engage council to move forward, have dialouge and settle on a plan so things will be ready for the next mayor.

I guess this is our chance to poison the discussion with investing in rail as a key component of a future vision.

freudian slip...I assume you meant "position"?

[nestliving]

I think we need an IKEA downtown, it would bring people to the core.

get a million of your mates to move downtown and Ikea would most likely take you up on your idea.

[TREE4309]

Where the hell would an Ikea fit downtown?  I thought this group was against tearing down existing buildings downtown.

[nestliving]

I don't think anyone seriously thinks that we'll ever have an ikea at all, let alone one downtown. Nice thought though.