LaVilla: 'A story of fits and starts'

[stjr]

I live in a world where a person's reputation is a valued asset that one protects when it is being wrongly challenged. Which really brings to light the irony of your statement regarding the anonymity of some posters who are trying to "protect their personal lives from the dangers of global communication". I guess it's OK for these people to post whatever they want about others, just so long as they can hide behind the keyboard.  

MPP

Part I:

Mark, I appreciate your sensitivities.  We all have family and hate to see any of them diminished, especially in the public eye.  My comments were not meant to be taken so personally but I can certainly see how you feel based on how they appear.  Like the general press, posts here are often "spiced" to engender reaction and further discussion, not to mention attracting eyeballs to one's position.  Choice of language may also reflect frustration or other feelings with the issues being addressed.  I regret that my post caused you such consternation but also suggest you wax philosophically and let much of the emotional charge (but not the substance of the point) roll off your shoulders.

I am sure you realize that your Dad has placed himself in the sphere of a "public figure" with regard to some issues in our community.  As a public figure, community impressions will be based on public information which may not fairly and/or fully represent the total person.  It must be expected that there will be those who disagree with any given position or action, and that, especially, as Stephen points out, with the advent of the internet, those disagreements will be expressed in various ways.  It is a hazard of these circumstances that such expressions will often "hit home".

Of course, Jax is also a city that has often been led astray by "people of influence" who have, at various levels, subverted the community's interest for their own.  While this isn't necessarily so, as you claim in your Dad's case, that isn't always obvious to those from afar.  And, regardless, there will always be those among us who remain skeptical that anyone is completely immune from guarding their personal pocketbook, being that we are all human.

As to posters, the converse is true as Stephen also notes.  We are in many ways like the Dad you portray.  Good people who have lived in Jax for many years or a lifetime and care passionately about our community.  But, unlike your Dad, we are, for whatever reasons, not "at the table" or in a position to have our voices heard or weighted in most of the decisions being made by the "leaders" of this community.  Over many years, this creates a certain frustration and disdain for those who do influence such decisions in a more direct fashion, both for the "unequal" representation and for the disapproval of many outcomes.  In turn, this results in strenuous responses to what is  observed and known publicly.

To bottom line it, your Dad may indeed be a wonderful and caring person.  I don't doubt that.  But, he has said, advocated, and or acted on some issues that have, fairly or unfairly, engendered opposing opinions and/or skepticism about his motives.  That those opinions have been "spiced" up in their expression is an unfortunate byproduct but it is unlikely go away in this internet age.

I, for one, will be happy to apologize to you for any unintended personal offense and will offer to be more discerning (but, not necessarily less pointed) going forward.  Just as your Dad may not be infallible in the public eye, neither may we.

Part II:

Mark, as to LaVilla and your Dad's role in it, the essence of my frustration is that he has contributed to the suburban type development of LaVilla.  If he is indeed advocating for the urban environment that LaVilla was sold to us as being a part of, then why do we have office buildings such as his with no street facing interaction and surrounding surface lots not unlike the office parks on JTB that you, yourself, cited as contributing to the holding back of Downtown?  As a professed downtown advocate" and an architect of your Dad's alleged stature, I would expect him to both take a more leading role on the insistence of good urban design for downtown as well as to set a leading example in his own developments.  The contrast between words and actions here is what opens up Ted to criticism IMHO.

Re: residential, you and your Dad are entitled to your opinion, but if LaVilla is truly viewed as an urban area, I think it should accommodate residential mixed with other uses.  And, I-95 shouldn't be a barrier given there are multitudes of residential communities backing up to the interstates in the suburbs already.  With the right interface and design, this should not be an issue for LaVilla either.  Again, if your Dad gets the urban thing, I just don't get how he reaches this conclusion.

[Gen7]

Perhaps a living museum be created in this area consisting of one or two walkable streets with replicas of the historical buildings and businesses, some jazz clubs, hotels, restaurants, the fresh fruit stand mentioned earlier, etc., tied to the Ritz and the LaVilla School of Arts.  A Colonial Williamsburg concept.  There are pictures of the buildings.... 

[JaxNative68]

Savannah nearly did become LaVilla.  During the urban redevelopment craze a few decades ago, urban planners were all for knocking down the neglected old houses downtown and building new buildings. Fortunately, a group of fiery preservationists organized and won the day. 

Lake, from your post, in my minds eye, I can see LaVilla, Durkeeville and Springfield surrounding a vital Klutho Park. No speedway Union and State, and no FSCJ and bus station cutting off Springfield from LaVilla and downtown.  Long before now, with that ambiance, all those homes would have been restored, or on the way to it. Grants could have helped poorer families fix up their homes.  We would have a vibrant downtown historic district that was second to none. 

“For all sad words of tongue and pen, The saddest are these, 'It might have been'.”  John Greenleaf Whittier

The Savannah College of Art & Design truly won the day for Savannah.  The turned more condemned buildings into thriving productive buildings than anyone else in that city.

[heights unknown]

As someone who grew up in LaVilla, I am here to tell you what is there today is the hugest of all failures in Jacksonville.  You think downtown is sleeping? LaVilla is dead!

Round em up, kick em out, move em away is what it seems happened. How in hell can he say that LaVilla is any type of success at all? What glass stem has he been smoking from? Empty lots, grass fields, fenced in empty lots, no people, no restaurants, no shops/stores of any kind = FAILURE!

I do believe that there is a foundation in LaVilla to work from.  As one of the posters said, you've got the skyway station not far away, the Prime Osborne in the same area, Ritz Theatre, the Medical Facility/Building (or whatever it is that blocked off 4 or 5 streets which I disagree with).  I feel that a few residential complexes (apartments, condos, and some small homes) should be built first which would then lure in restaurants, stores and othe small neighborhood retail to support the residential populace (whether private or big time), and then you will have a reawakened LaVilla!

"HU"

[heights unknown]

Why does Pappas think adding residential would be so deterimental?  I don't get it?  Does he only want more office buildings? 

because he and a few partners own a lot of the land around his two medical office buildings and he wants to continue to expand on his mini office park cash cow with city incentives.

seems to me he and his partners have invested in LaVilla....not many others can say that right now.

Buying property and then sitting on it as empty lots and grassfields isn't my idea of an investment.

"HU"

[heights unknown]

Savannah nearly did become LaVilla.  During the urban redevelopment craze a few decades ago, urban planners were all for knocking down the neglected old houses downtown and building new buildings. Fortunately, a group of fiery preservationists organized and won the day. 

Lake, from your post, in my minds eye, I can see LaVilla, Durkeeville and Springfield surrounding a vital Klutho Park. No speedway Union and State, and no FSCJ and bus station cutting off Springfield from LaVilla and downtown.  Long before now, with that ambiance, all those homes would have been restored, or on the way to it. Grants could have helped poorer families fix up their homes.  We would have a vibrant downtown historic district that was second to none. 

“For all sad words of tongue and pen, The saddest are these, 'It might have been'.”  John Greenleaf Whittier

I agree Debbie; it took some years, but look at the success of Springfield?  And Springfield was in much worse shape (if I remember correctly) than LaVilla as far as the rooming houses, drugs, prostitution, etc. was concerned. If our leaders had really sat down and used their noodle before reacting or acting negatively (without thinking), LaVilla could have gone in the same direction as Springfield...i.e., success versus failure; anyone agree?

"HU"