Revitalizing Neighborhoods: DC's Near Northeast
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/photos/2660674672_HtttvXQ-M.jpg)
Washington, DC is nationally known for the rapid gentrification of its urban core during the last decade. Now, a modern streetcar system scheduled to open in late 2013 is fueling the revitalization of another. Believe it or not, there's something Jacksonville can learn from this community's revitalization experience: Near Northeast
Full Article
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2013-jul-revitalizing-neighborhoods-dcs-near-northeast
Looks really nice.
I was just in DC this past May and we spent a couple of hours checking out some of the places on H Street since the place we were renting for the weekend was in Capitol Hill. I'm glad to find out the streetcar isn't up and running yet, because the whole time I was wondering where the hell the trolleys were since everywhere we went the tracks were complete. H Street itself was definitely underwhelming compared to the other "hip" neighborhoods in town, but it sounds like it's still on the upswing. It did remind me of Main Street in Springfield a lot, even though Springfield is unfortunately a decade or two behind.
Some other takeaways from that part of town are: A) Anyone complaining about parking in Riverside/Avondale or San Marco need to spend some time in a real urban neighborhood, and B) Union Market was really cool. It would be awesome if we could do something similar with a place like Annie Lytle.
Spent some time in Union Market as well. It's a concept I think would work great for the Jacksonville Farmer's Market, whenever they decide to expand, since they already own a vacant grocery store and fenced parking lot, roughly the same size. What I really liked about Union Market was it complements traditional farmer's markets by being a venue geared towards those looking for ready-to-eat artisanal food options and food related special events (both in and outdoor).
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/Learning-From/Washington-DC-2013/i-rjbw5z9/0/M/P1660233-M.jpg)
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/Learning-From/Washington-DC-2013/i-BR7gmDD/0/M/P1660238-M.jpg)
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/Learning-From/Washington-DC-2013/i-n76JXvX/0/L/P1660240-600x1000.jpg)
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/Learning-From/Washington-DC-2013/i-nzq3LBP/0/M/P1660246-M.jpg)
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/Learning-From/Washington-DC-2013/i-Sqp3gDt/0/M/P1660247-M.jpg)
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/Learning-From/Washington-DC-2013/i-G6zkKgj/0/M/P1660250-M.jpg)
My reason for checking out Union Market is that Metro Jacksonville is looking at possibly hosting food related events at the Jacksonville Farmer's Market in the near future as part of our goal to further expose that area of the urban core for the economic asset that it truly is.
I personally prefer Eastern Market over Union Market.
That said, the old adjoining grocery store that Beaver Street Foods now owns is perfect for this type of configuration. Would also work very well if they incorporated a commissary in the building so they have activity(and income) within the building 7 days a week... there is plenty of space. Union Market actually rents to a few food trucks that use the space as a commissary and to serve in house(not in the truck) at the market on the weekends. I know Jeff has mentioned the commissary idea before.
A commissary component is a pretty good idea. Stopped by Eastern Market as well. I really like the mixed-use environment that the market anchors in the middle of a residential district. All I could think about was the residential parking permit discussion taking place in Riverside. Tons of more activity in Capitol Hill and around the market, and little off-street parking. Despite being much denser, the general public can still parallel park on the residential streets for up to two hours. Also, despite all the activity, I had no problem finding multiple parking spaces two blocks away from my desired destinations. Mentioning that, mobility options were clearly more diverse. Tons of bike riders, pedestrians, and the nearest Metro stop is roughly two blocks away.
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/Learning-From/Washington-DC-2013/i-BHBmfSj/0/M/P1660480-M.jpg)
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/Learning-From/Washington-DC-2013/i-3P8xDvK/0/M/P1660474-M.jpg)
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/Learning-From/Washington-DC-2013/i-hQ2StrB/0/M/P1660490-M.jpg)
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/Learning-From/Washington-DC-2013/i-WLGL8cT/0/M/P1660478-M.jpg)
Some great shots of H Street's transformation by SSP's Cirrus. I'd love to see Main Street do the same.
(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7338/9388099005_82d89b7007_b.jpg)
http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=206746