Jax Beach & 'festival street' for downtown

[fsu813]

A walking tour gives city officials an idea of what the downtown area could be.

JACKSONVILLE BEACH - Off-street parking, roundabouts, a park near the fishing pier and other downtown improvement concepts moved closer to reality this week after the City Council took a walking tour to evaluate the proposals.

About 25 city officials and citizen activists joined Monday's walking tour to pick their favorite recommendations from Glatting Jackson, an Orlando urban design team that has been working with the city on the Downtown Vision Plan since mid-2007.

The council will likely vote on the construction options at its Monday meeting.

This phase of the Downtown Vision Plan runs along Beach Boulevard from Third Street to the ocean, along First Street North from Beach Boulevard to Fourth Avenue North and along Fourth Avenue from First Street to Third Street.

City officials provided a very rough estimate of $7.9 million for the plan with a "festival street" option on First Street North. Under that concept, pedestrians, bicyclists and cars would share a revamped First Street with wider sidewalks, landscaped islands and about 20 on-street parking spots on alternate sides of the street that create a meandering roadway for drivers. The plan would add colored textures and patterns on the street.

They estimate that option would cost about $1.5 million more than the standard curb and gutter option because it will involve some new storm drainage, more landscaping and the use of specialty materials.

The improvements will be funded with downtown redevelopment taxes. The cost estimates are preliminary and could vary due to construction bids, said City Manager George Forbes.

While the council didn't vote on the project during Monday's walk, members seemed to favor the "festival street" concept, in part due to the meandering roadway.

"Either way, it won't be straight," said Mayor Fland Sharp. "It won't have that shotgun look to it."

Councilman Rick Knight said he liked the festival street concept because it "would get more people out of their cars and on their feet," which he said would be good for motorists and for merchants.

"In the end, it will pay for itself," Knight said.

The project would also add two roundabouts on First Street, at Beach Boulevard and Fourth Avenue North, where motorists can drop people off. In addition, the proposal would add a parking lot on city-owned land at the end of Third Avenue North, replacing the current brick courtyard between the Ocean Club and Fionn MacCool's Irish pub.

The plan also involves the development of a park at the fishing pier at Fourth Avenue North, which would require the city to buy some land north and south of the pier parking lot.

However, council members weren't eager to implement the consultant's suggestion for back-in parking after listening to Jacksonville Beach Police Cmdr. Gene Paul Smith's concerns about the confusion it would create.

http://jacksonville.com/news/2010-01-27/story/jacksonville_beach_leaders_like_festival_street_idea_for_downtown

[fsu813]

I didn't know Jax Beach had a "downtown".

[Jason]

Sounds like a great plan to me.  And its also refreshing to hear Jax beach speak of itself of a big city would.  "Downtown Jax Beach", I like it!

[Captain Zissou]

$7.9 mil for all of that?  That sounds dirt cheap compared to $40 mil to spruce up met park.

[tufsu1]

I didn't know Jax Beach had a "downtown".

it is actually quite nice....they've had a Community Redevelopment Area for quite some time....and they use the increased tax revenues to fund these types of projects/improvements.

[JaxNative68]

^ and tore down the Crab Pot, which was one of the best people watching places at the beach.

[urbanlibertarian]

I think City of Jax Beach set a great example of how to spur development.  Stop trying to plan. direct and dictate and instead enable, empower and assist private property owners.  Government does not cause economic development to happen, free individuals do.

[tufsu1]

I think City of Jax Beach set a great example of how to spur development.  Stop trying to plan. direct and dictate and instead enable, empower and assist private property owners.  Government does not cause economic development to happen, free individuals do.

I'm not sure the longest sitting planning director in Florida would agree with the assertion that Jax. Beach did this without plans.

[urbanlibertarian]

They did abandon their 20+ years of government sponsored redevelopment plans that threatened to condemn private property and sell it to developers.

[Ocklawaha]

Just imagine, this could be Jacksonville Beach!


Hey Beach Cities, toss in another $10 Million and we can build a streetcar line that not only ties it all together, but serves as a development blowtorch. Imagine the only coastal city in the USA to have a "Surf Line" streetcar, why we'd have to beat the developers back with a big stick!

By the way, on the way to the streetcar, why not lose the goofy, boom stiffeling height limitation on new buildings. While I like the sun on the beach as much as the next guy, I don't see where a block or two west of the beach you couldn't allow high rise buildings.  Even a small zone of such buildings would more then pay for all of the other redevlopment you could dream up in tax revenue... Hell, I might even buy a unit.  We could tie all of the tall buildings with the traditional "downtown beach" street with the vintage open streetcars... WAY COOL, JAX BEACH WOULD BECOME LEGEND.

Just imagine, JACKSONVILLE BEACH could be the city that convinces Jacksonville that some people CAN tell a trolley from a potato chip truck, alas, they wouldn't get it anyway...


SOMETIMES A MAN'S GOT TO ASK HIMSELF, CAN I TELL THE DIFFERENCE? WELL PUNK, DO YOU FEEL LUCKY?


REAL TROLLEY


POTATO CHIP TRUCK


OCKLAWAHA