How about some positive news coming out of the burbs?
(http://www.news4jax.com/2008/0311/15566728.jpg)
Gov. Charlie Crist and the Florida Cabinet voted Tuesday to acquire more than 1,135 acres in Nassau County to add to a reserve the state hopes will connect 146,000 acres stretching through Duval and Clay counties.
More than 60,000 acres of conservation land are now in public ownership in the Northeast Florida Timberlands and Watershed Reserve -- the seventh largest Florida Forever project currently under way.
Read the rest here: http://www.news4jax.com/news/15566614/detail.html
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I know that this greenbelt is old news - but it's great to see it actually happening. (I think we all know that our government often doesn't follow through on its plans.) This greenbelt also has the added advantage of making the First Coast MPO's absurd "outer beltway" proposal even more irrational. There's not much reason to run a freeway along the outskirts of a giant nature preserve - I hope.
Additionally, the above picture only shows the land specifically being targeted by the "Florida Forever" program. It doesn't include the massive tracts of preservation land in the Timucuan Preserve, Jennings State Forest, Cary State Forest, and Camp Blanding Preserve. I'll try to find better graphics of the full greenbelt and post them later.
(Note: I didn't post this in Parks and Recreation because this is primarily a landuse issue. However, some recreational areas will be included in the greenbelt.)
Joe: This is wonderful news. Did you know that Florida Forever is coming up for renewal in our Florida legislature. This program helps us to buy lands like this sometimes with matching money for the Jacksonville Preservation Project.
http://www.supportfloridaforever.org
That looks like it comes dangerously close to the planned outer beltway.
(http://www.tollroadsnews.com/sites/default/files/u2/0712161smlMp.gif)
http://www.dep.state.fl.us/lands/FFAnnual/B_NE_FloridaTimberlands.pdf
Here's a link to the .pdf file with larger landuse maps. It shows the Florida Forever land combined with other preservation land. Maybe someone less lazy than me can convert the pictures to .jpegs and post them?
As for the Clay County beltway - sadly, that is probably going to happen no matter what. The Greenbelt would be just beyond the freeway in some places. However, there is a Northwestern loop proposed to run from Baldwin to near Callahan and then back to I95 in Nassau County. Some of that absurd project would have to cut right through the greebelt. Hopefully no one will pursue that segment.
The city wants that segment, although there are no funds to pay for it.
This is fantastic news, thanks for sharing Joe.
Looks like there is still quite a bit of land to lock up. Perhaps the landowners in those areas are holding out fo the big bucks.
I believe the northwest componant of the beltway would use existing 301 from baldwin to Callahan. In my opinion, make 301 from baldwin to callahan 4 lane and finish the 4 lane project on A1A (it currently stops about 5 or so miles out of callahan) and you have finished this portion of the beltway. I would love to see the rest of A1A and 301 a 4 lane road, just for saftey. You would not believe the ammount of traffic that already use 301 and A1A as a "beltway". The road sees very heavy traffic, I know, I live about 2 blocks of of 301 in the city of callahan
Quote from: Jason on March 12, 2008, 05:40:18 PM
This is fantastic news, thanks for sharing Joe.
Looks like there is still quite a bit of land to lock up. Perhaps the landowners in those areas are holding out fo the big bucks.
This is another thing, after looking at who owns of some of needed land I wonder if they would sale no matter the $$ figure, I guess money talks, but I know some of the land owners and you are talking about family farms and such.. According to the Nassau County Property Appraisers website it looks like SJWMD owns much of the land on A1A
Quote from: thelakelander on March 12, 2008, 05:11:06 PM
The city wants that segment, although there are no funds to pay for it.
New Sewer infastructure on A1A is JEA substations and lift stations the new waste water plant in Callahan is being built to JEA specs.
Generally speaking the state is limited in what it is able to offer for land based on fair appraisal values. Sometimes deals which involve timber rights, hunt rights, conservation easements instead of fee title are used to get more land for the money.
Much of the land which is being sold to the state is land owned by very large timber/mill companies. The price of timber and pulp are so bad now and competition from Canada and S.America is causing these companies to decide to reduce their land holdings. Thank goodness they have a conservation ethic and are willing to see it become public land.