QuoteAn overhaul of how Jacksonville City Hall spurs job growth and downtown development could eliminate the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission and its countywide role in negotiating financial incentives.
Advisors to Mayor Alvin Brown are working on a reorganization that would mark the biggest change in the city's economic development structure since the JEDC began in 1996.
The proposal taking shape would replace the JEDC with two new entities - a downtown development corporation for projects in downtown, and an Office of Economic Development in the mayor's office for projects outside downtown. It would be part of a larger reorganization of City Hall by Brown. City Council would have to approve the changes.
Full article: http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2011-10-10/story/reorganization-jacksonville-city-hall-might-bring-end-jedc-two-new
So would this just be spinning dowtown development off of JEDC and changing the name? Or would both be under the mayor? It's not really clear from the article.
At any rate it's good to see some potential progress being made on a new downtown development authority.
I'd start a new downtown development organization for downtown only. Forget about the suburbs, they've been spoiled (at downtown's expense) for the last fifty years.
The only construction projects in the suburbs should be limited to, road repair, (NOT road building or widening) sidewalk installations/improvements, upgrades for schools, demolition of empty or near empty stripmalls and subdivisions and upgrading bike paths and public parks.
Instead of building giant, difficult to access subdivisions, Why can't we seem to encourage developers to build more compact, but higher rising apartments downtown?
Wouldn't it be cheaper to build a five to ten story building on a quarter of a block, than to build a multi acre subdivision dominated by parking lots?