QuoteBy Carole Hawkins, Staff Writer
The rise of millenials and the aging of baby boomers are the national market forces most likely to impact real estate here in Jacksonville.
That's Fred Schmidt's bet.
The national president of Coldwell Banker Commercial, Schmidt shared his insights with the Daily Record while attending a regional conference for his company in Jacksonville.
QuoteFor millenials, quality of life matters more than it did to past generations. So, quality of life is going to affect a company's ability to attract employees more and more.
Florida benefits from beaches and a mild climate. And Jacksonville has the ingredients to deliver the live-work-play experience millenials favor, with its Downtown riverfront and first steps at urban renewal, seen in projects like Unity Plaza.
Jacksonville should build its transit system, though, Schmidt said, to offer more convenient access to the amenities millenials will want to enjoy.
Full article: http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory.php?Story_id=546371
Good article, I saw recently where Bank Repossessions of houses are up 66% across the US, according to RealtyTrac, as many banks are racing to take possession of properties and then push them back onto the market while prices are up. The average list price of a house in Jax is $150,000. The Average sale price is $108,000. The average sale price of a house that is bank-owned (in various stages of needing repair) is $59,000 in Jacksonville. So if you are a millenial, and you can get a house with 3% down, as you can from many sources, and you can get renovation money. Why wouldn't you look to jump at the opportunity to build equity.
The fact that the housing cycle, at least in Florida, because the judicial process is 2-3 years on foreclosure of a home means that millennials, smart ones, can buy a house, hold it for 2 years, then sell it and not have to pay capital gains on the house, up to $250,000 for single person, and $500,000 for married couples. So buy in the urban areas and put in the granite counter tops, stainless appliances, the things that are needed for top dollar resale and then repeat the process elsewhere.
I'm updating my house in Murray hill. I bought it when I was 21, I'm 23 now. Its looking nice. I have a cute brick bungalow. I don't plan on moving anytime soon.
Quote"It is dogma among greens, urban pundits, planners and developers that the under 30 crowd doesn't like what Grist called 'sprawling car dependent cities," Joel Kotkin writes for Forbes. "Too bad no one told most millennials. What [actually] emerges...is a picture of a millennial America that does not much mirror the one suggested in most accounts. The metro areas with the highest percentages of millennials tend, for the most part, to be not dense big cities but either college towns — Austin, Texas; Columbus, Ohio, for example — or Sun Belt cities."
Cities like Charlotte, NC have seen their fair share of millennial transplants, and the Charlotte Observer reports that despite their preference for mass transit, millennials are embracing cars as a tradeoff to the lower overhead and higher quality of life available in these smaller cities. Millennials — also known as Generation Y — accounted for 27 percent of new car sales in the U.S. last year, up from 18 percent in 2010, according to J.D. Power & Associates. They've zoomed past Gen X to become the second-largest group of new car buyers after their boomer parents. Millennials are starting to find jobs and relocating to the suburbs and smaller cities, where public transport is spotty.
- See more at: http://www.bentley.edu/prepared/why-millennials-are-moving-suburbs-and-smaller-cities#sthash.3CHkUMWQ.dpuf
Good article. The smaller cities it mentions are a few that are seriously investing in their quality of life, multimodal transportation options, complete streets, modifying zoning to become more walkable, etc. A city like Jax would do itself some good to take a look at what places like Austin, Charlotte and Columbus have been doing over the last decade or two.
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/Learning-From/Columbus-Ohio/i-Mb9W6qs/0/X2/P1560976-L.jpg)
Happily stuck in traffic on High Street in Short North, with a rear view glimpse of DT Columbus in the background.
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/Learning-From/Columbus-Ohio/i-m229KQf/0/X2/P1560974-L.jpg)
It would nice to see some streets like Edgewood, Main, Kings, University, etc. revitalize to get the type of activity taking place on some of Columbus' core streets.
I have some friends who just moved from San Francisco to Columbus. I was shocked when they first told me about it, but apparently Columbus has a lot to offer. I hope to visit next spring/summer.
Quote from: thelakelander on October 22, 2015, 12:04:14 PM
Good article. The smaller cities it mentions are a few that are seriously investing in their quality of life, multimodal transportation options, complete streets, modifying zoning to become more walkable, etc. A city like Jax would do itself some good to take a look at what places like Austin, Charlotte and Columbus have been doing over the last decade or two.
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/Learning-From/Columbus-Ohio/i-Mb9W6qs/0/X2/P1560976-L.jpg)
Happily stuck in traffic on High Street in Short North, with a rear view glimpse of DT Columbus in the background.
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/Learning-From/Columbus-Ohio/i-m229KQf/0/X2/P1560974-L.jpg)
It would nice to see some streets like Edgewood, Main, Kings, University, etc. revitalize to get the type of activity taking place on some of Columbus' core streets.
Especially with Columbus and Austin, it is difficult to compare them to Jax because they have huge, major research universities in Ohio State and UT. Likewise, both cities are the capital's of huge states with the influx of money that comes from that.
Quote from: finehoe on October 22, 2015, 12:11:12 PM
I have some friends who just moved from San Francisco to Columbus. I was shocked when they first told me about it, but apparently Columbus has a lot to offer. I hope to visit next spring/summer.
Columbus definitely flies under the radar for how cool it is, and no I didn't go to Ohio State. It is a lot more historic and compact than I had imagined, kind of like Cincinnati but cleaner. Well, maybe they are about the same now, it's been over 10 years since I've been to Cinci.
[/quote]
Especially with Columbus and Austin, it is difficult to compare them to Jax because they have huge, major research universities in Ohio State and UT. Likewise, both cities are the capital's of huge states with the influx of money that comes from that.
[/quote]
Charlotte is a more comparable city to what Jacksonville could move to accomplish. What we lack is industry. We used to have banking on the scale that Charlotte has. Step one is to solve that problem.
Although all of us have different features that are unique to each specific city, all of these places are highly comparable when facing this particular issue. We don't need a research university or have to be a state capitol to invest in something other than highways or to encourage walkable development. We don't need an OSU to develop a corridor like High Street in Short North. That's essentially Main Street in Springfield or Kings Road in Durkeeville....just revitalized. We also have enough industry. What we lack is vision and the will to implement things we have not invested in traditionally.
Quote from: finehoe on October 22, 2015, 12:11:12 PM
I have some friends who just moved from San Francisco to Columbus. I was shocked when they first told me about it, but apparently Columbus has a lot to offer. I hope to visit next spring/summer.
My wife and I take our bikes with us whenever we travel in the US. Columbus was an unbelievably cool city to bike/walk, especially with us coming from Michigan and hearing all the negative garbage you can imagine. In addition to OSU, they have a dedicated bike path which takes you right downtown, without having to cross very many streets (ultra-safe ride), and the downtown actually was bike-friendly and had things to do, places to eat, etc. This is one of the biggest disappointments we have with Jax; it is not a bike/pedestrian friendly place, and once you get downtown, you only have to travel about two blocks and you don't exactly feel safe. Other than the Landing, which according to all reports has fallen off a cliff since we were down there a couple of years ago, there was not much going on.
If DT Jax could ever be like Columbus, that would be a real plus. I believe the other comments were correct, though. We are not a major university town, nor a state capitol.
You don't have to be a state capital or home to a major university to have a vibrant downtown or be a bike friendly city. St. Petersburg is a perfect example of this. If they were able to turn that place around in 10-15 years, we should be able to do the same, considering the existing assets we already bring to the table.
Quote from: thelakelander on October 22, 2015, 04:32:49 PM
Although all of us have different features that are unique to each specific city, all of these places are highly comparable when facing this particular issue. We don't need a research university or have to be a state capitol to invest in something other than highways or to encourage walkable development. We don't need an OSU to develop a corridor like High Street in Short North. That's essentially Main Street in Springfield or Kings Road in Durkeeville....just revitalized. We also have enough industry. What we lack is vision and the will to implement things we have not invested in traditionally.
You just have so much artificial economic stimulation from an OSU or a state capitol. The vibrancy from just the young populations creates those cool vibes. Just go to Gainesville or Tallahassee, which are a fraction of the size of Jax, and with little in natural beauty to offer, but are far more vibrant at times than Jax. That said, Jax has a lot to offer and could do a lot to make the changes like you said.
One thing that is right: Charlotte should not have passed Jacksonville like it did. Also, Jacksonville could definitely be the next St. Petersburg but we need to play to our natural assets with the river, beaches, historic neighborhoods, and Laura/Bay Corridors downtown.
Quote from: For_F-L-O-R-I-D-A on October 22, 2015, 05:14:05 PM
... Jacksonville could definitely be the next St. Petersburg but we need to play to our natural assets with the river, beaches, historic neighborhoods, and Laura/Bay Corridors downtown.
Amen to that.
I spent five years in Tallahassee. I always thought it lacked the urban vibrancy of compact college towns like Madison, Athens, Ann Arbor, etc. Gainesville felt worse. In Tally, football season was pretty cool (in terms of college nightlife) but the summers sucked and downtown was never really vibrant. To be honest, I was ready to leave and left right after my graduation ceremony. This was in the early 2000s, so things may have changed now. On the other hand, DT Jax was once vibrant (big city vibrant) and we have no one else to blame but ourselves for what it has become, during a period when other places around the country were rapidly turning things around.
From my experience, most of the successful places tend to leverage their natural assets, historic neighborhoods, etc. These are common traits that are applicable to all cities of various shapes, cultures, economic conditions and sizes. Universities, state capitols, county seats, military, local business community, non-profit foundations, sugar daddies, etc. are simply tools to facilitate the leveraging. Depending on the community, a varying set of tools may be available to them.
Quote from: thelakelander on October 22, 2015, 05:29:51 PM
I spent five years in Tallahassee. I always thought it lacked the urban vibrancy of compact college towns like Madison, Athens, Ann Arbor, etc. Gainesville felt worse. In Tally, football season was pretty cool (in terms of college nightlife) but the summers sucked and downtown was never really vibrant. To be honest, I was ready to leave and left right after my graduation ceremony. This was in the early 2000s, so things may have changed now. On the other hand, DT Jax was once vibrant (big city vibrant) and we have no one else to blame but ourselves for what it has become, during a period when other places around the country were rapidly turning things around.
From my experience, most of the successful places tend to leverage their natural assets, historic neighborhoods, etc. These are common traits that are applicable to all cities of various shapes, cultures, economic conditions and sizes. Universities, state capitols, county seats, military, local business community, non-profit foundations, sugar daddies, etc. are simply tools to facilitate the leveraging. Depending on the community, a varying set of tools may be available to them.
Most of the change in Gainesville or Tallahassee has been recent. Midtown was always vibrant in Gainesville but the downtown turned the corner about a decade ago.
It is funny, but Riverside and San Marco are cool neighborhoods and getting cooler. The key piece is our downtown and just making it something that Jaxson's are not ashamed of - which is the usual response. We have a beautiful river, we need connectivity with the neighborhoods, but we need to build up Laura St. and Bay St. with restaurants and nightlife. I really believe with the amenities in the current day and age, people will want to live on the river and developers will see that soon enough.
Quote from: For_F-L-O-R-I-D-A on October 22, 2015, 05:49:36 PM
Quote from: thelakelander on October 22, 2015, 05:29:51 PM
I spent five years in Tallahassee. I always thought it lacked the urban vibrancy of compact college towns like Madison, Athens, Ann Arbor, etc. Gainesville felt worse. In Tally, football season was pretty cool (in terms of college nightlife) but the summers sucked and downtown was never really vibrant. To be honest, I was ready to leave and left right after my graduation ceremony. This was in the early 2000s, so things may have changed now. On the other hand, DT Jax was once vibrant (big city vibrant) and we have no one else to blame but ourselves for what it has become, during a period when other places around the country were rapidly turning things around.
From my experience, most of the successful places tend to leverage their natural assets, historic neighborhoods, etc. These are common traits that are applicable to all cities of various shapes, cultures, economic conditions and sizes. Universities, state capitols, county seats, military, local business community, non-profit foundations, sugar daddies, etc. are simply tools to facilitate the leveraging. Depending on the community, a varying set of tools may be available to them.
Most of the change in Gainesville or Tallahassee has been recent. Midtown was always vibrant in Gainesville but the downtown turned the corner about a decade ago.
It is funny, but Riverside and San Marco are cool neighborhoods and getting cooler. The key piece is our downtown and just making it something that Jaxson's are not ashamed of - which is the usual response. We have a beautiful river, we need connectivity with the neighborhoods, but we need to build up Laura St. and Bay St. with restaurants and nightlife. I really believe with the amenities in the current day and age, people will want to live on the river and developers will see that soon enough.
All the cool towns we've visited have had one thing in common: they all have some type of linear park/path that allows walkers, runners, cyclists, etc., access to the best parts of the city. Columbus, Austin, Chattanooga, and many others have it. Atlanta is getting theirs, with their Beltline project, plus they have the USA's best rail trail with the Silver Comet. Heck, even a rebuilding-from-the-dead Detroit is getting theirs! Jacksonville desperately needs to leverage their amazing riverfront and tie into those cool neighborhoods that you mentioned, plus all points east (i.e., The Beaches). I know I won't see it in my lifetime, but it would be cool to see someone with the vision actually get it started.
Quote from: TimmyB on October 22, 2015, 07:43:54 PM
Quote from: For_F-L-O-R-I-D-A on October 22, 2015, 05:49:36 PM
Quote from: thelakelander on October 22, 2015, 05:29:51 PM
I spent five years in Tallahassee. I always thought it lacked the urban vibrancy of compact college towns like Madison, Athens, Ann Arbor, etc. Gainesville felt worse. In Tally, football season was pretty cool (in terms of college nightlife) but the summers sucked and downtown was never really vibrant. To be honest, I was ready to leave and left right after my graduation ceremony. This was in the early 2000s, so things may have changed now. On the other hand, DT Jax was once vibrant (big city vibrant) and we have no one else to blame but ourselves for what it has become, during a period when other places around the country were rapidly turning things around.
From my experience, most of the successful places tend to leverage their natural assets, historic neighborhoods, etc. These are common traits that are applicable to all cities of various shapes, cultures, economic conditions and sizes. Universities, state capitols, county seats, military, local business community, non-profit foundations, sugar daddies, etc. are simply tools to facilitate the leveraging. Depending on the community, a varying set of tools may be available to them.
Most of the change in Gainesville or Tallahassee has been recent. Midtown was always vibrant in Gainesville but the downtown turned the corner about a decade ago.
It is funny, but Riverside and San Marco are cool neighborhoods and getting cooler. The key piece is our downtown and just making it something that Jaxson's are not ashamed of - which is the usual response. We have a beautiful river, we need connectivity with the neighborhoods, but we need to build up Laura St. and Bay St. with restaurants and nightlife. I really believe with the amenities in the current day and age, people will want to live on the river and developers will see that soon enough.
All the cool towns we've visited have had one thing in common: they all have some type of linear park/path that allows walkers, runners, cyclists, etc., access to the best parts of the city. Columbus, Austin, Chattanooga, and many others have it. Atlanta is getting theirs, with their Beltline project, plus they have the USA's best rail trail with the Silver Comet. Heck, even a rebuilding-from-the-dead Detroit is getting theirs! Jacksonville desperately needs to leverage their amazing riverfront and tie into those cool neighborhoods that you mentioned, plus all points east (i.e., The Beaches). I know I won't see it in my lifetime, but it would be cool to see someone with the vision actually get it started.
The Riverwalk?
Quote from: iMarvin on October 22, 2015, 09:01:41 PM
Quote from: TimmyB on October 22, 2015, 07:43:54 PM
Quote from: For_F-L-O-R-I-D-A on October 22, 2015, 05:49:36 PM
Quote from: thelakelander on October 22, 2015, 05:29:51 PM
I spent five years in Tallahassee. I always thought it lacked the urban vibrancy of compact college towns like Madison, Athens, Ann Arbor, etc. Gainesville felt worse. In Tally, football season was pretty cool (in terms of college nightlife) but the summers sucked and downtown was never really vibrant. To be honest, I was ready to leave and left right after my graduation ceremony. This was in the early 2000s, so things may have changed now. On the other hand, DT Jax was once vibrant (big city vibrant) and we have no one else to blame but ourselves for what it has become, during a period when other places around the country were rapidly turning things around.
From my experience, most of the successful places tend to leverage their natural assets, historic neighborhoods, etc. These are common traits that are applicable to all cities of various shapes, cultures, economic conditions and sizes. Universities, state capitols, county seats, military, local business community, non-profit foundations, sugar daddies, etc. are simply tools to facilitate the leveraging. Depending on the community, a varying set of tools may be available to them.
Most of the change in Gainesville or Tallahassee has been recent. Midtown was always vibrant in Gainesville but the downtown turned the corner about a decade ago.
It is funny, but Riverside and San Marco are cool neighborhoods and getting cooler. The key piece is our downtown and just making it something that Jaxson's are not ashamed of - which is the usual response. We have a beautiful river, we need connectivity with the neighborhoods, but we need to build up Laura St. and Bay St. with restaurants and nightlife. I really believe with the amenities in the current day and age, people will want to live on the river and developers will see that soon enough.
All the cool towns we've visited have had one thing in common: they all have some type of linear park/path that allows walkers, runners, cyclists, etc., access to the best parts of the city. Columbus, Austin, Chattanooga, and many others have it. Atlanta is getting theirs, with their Beltline project, plus they have the USA's best rail trail with the Silver Comet. Heck, even a rebuilding-from-the-dead Detroit is getting theirs! Jacksonville desperately needs to leverage their amazing riverfront and tie into those cool neighborhoods that you mentioned, plus all points east (i.e., The Beaches). I know I won't see it in my lifetime, but it would be cool to see someone with the vision actually get it started.
The Riverwalk?
Which goes how far? I'm talking miles and miles of safe, scenic pathway, not a hodgepodge of hit-and-miss, or a few hundred yards downtown. And, if this already exists, it sure isn't marked or marketed very well, as we've never seen a thing about it!
I'm in downtown Pittsburgh for the next few days. This town is exploding since we lived here 5 years ago. I think Jacksonville is going to be the only city of its size left in the dust. And yeah, nobody to blame, but Jacksonville. It's going to be hard to come back.
Quote from: TimmyB on October 22, 2015, 09:23:57 PM
Quote from: iMarvin on October 22, 2015, 09:01:41 PM
Quote from: TimmyB on October 22, 2015, 07:43:54 PM
Quote from: For_F-L-O-R-I-D-A on October 22, 2015, 05:49:36 PM
Quote from: thelakelander on October 22, 2015, 05:29:51 PM
I spent five years in Tallahassee. I always thought it lacked the urban vibrancy of compact college towns like Madison, Athens, Ann Arbor, etc. Gainesville felt worse. In Tally, football season was pretty cool (in terms of college nightlife) but the summers sucked and downtown was never really vibrant. To be honest, I was ready to leave and left right after my graduation ceremony. This was in the early 2000s, so things may have changed now. On the other hand, DT Jax was once vibrant (big city vibrant) and we have no one else to blame but ourselves for what it has become, during a period when other places around the country were rapidly turning things around.
From my experience, most of the successful places tend to leverage their natural assets, historic neighborhoods, etc. These are common traits that are applicable to all cities of various shapes, cultures, economic conditions and sizes. Universities, state capitols, county seats, military, local business community, non-profit foundations, sugar daddies, etc. are simply tools to facilitate the leveraging. Depending on the community, a varying set of tools may be available to them.
Most of the change in Gainesville or Tallahassee has been recent. Midtown was always vibrant in Gainesville but the downtown turned the corner about a decade ago.
It is funny, but Riverside and San Marco are cool neighborhoods and getting cooler. The key piece is our downtown and just making it something that Jaxson's are not ashamed of - which is the usual response. We have a beautiful river, we need connectivity with the neighborhoods, but we need to build up Laura St. and Bay St. with restaurants and nightlife. I really believe with the amenities in the current day and age, people will want to live on the river and developers will see that soon enough.
All the cool towns we've visited have had one thing in common: they all have some type of linear park/path that allows walkers, runners, cyclists, etc., access to the best parts of the city. Columbus, Austin, Chattanooga, and many others have it. Atlanta is getting theirs, with their Beltline project, plus they have the USA's best rail trail with the Silver Comet. Heck, even a rebuilding-from-the-dead Detroit is getting theirs! Jacksonville desperately needs to leverage their amazing riverfront and tie into those cool neighborhoods that you mentioned, plus all points east (i.e., The Beaches). I know I won't see it in my lifetime, but it would be cool to see someone with the vision actually get it started.
The Riverwalk?
Which goes how far? I'm talking miles and miles of safe, scenic pathway, not a hodgepodge of hit-and-miss, or a few hundred yards downtown. And, if this already exists, it sure isn't marked or marketed very well, as we've never seen a thing about it!
No offense, but there are bigger issues. At the same time, does this work for you? - http://www.traillink.com/trail/jacksonville-baldwin-rail-trail.aspx
Quote from: For_F-L-O-R-I-D-A on October 23, 2015, 12:25:42 AM
Quote from: TimmyB on October 22, 2015, 09:23:57 PM
Quote from: iMarvin on October 22, 2015, 09:01:41 PM
Quote from: TimmyB on October 22, 2015, 07:43:54 PM
Quote from: For_F-L-O-R-I-D-A on October 22, 2015, 05:49:36 PM
Quote from: thelakelander on October 22, 2015, 05:29:51 PM
I spent five years in Tallahassee. I always thought it lacked the urban vibrancy of compact college towns like Madison, Athens, Ann Arbor, etc. Gainesville felt worse. In Tally, football season was pretty cool (in terms of college nightlife) but the summers sucked and downtown was never really vibrant. To be honest, I was ready to leave and left right after my graduation ceremony. This was in the early 2000s, so things may have changed now. On the other hand, DT Jax was once vibrant (big city vibrant) and we have no one else to blame but ourselves for what it has become, during a period when other places around the country were rapidly turning things around.
From my experience, most of the successful places tend to leverage their natural assets, historic neighborhoods, etc. These are common traits that are applicable to all cities of various shapes, cultures, economic conditions and sizes. Universities, state capitols, county seats, military, local business community, non-profit foundations, sugar daddies, etc. are simply tools to facilitate the leveraging. Depending on the community, a varying set of tools may be available to them.
Most of the change in Gainesville or Tallahassee has been recent. Midtown was always vibrant in Gainesville but the downtown turned the corner about a decade ago.
It is funny, but Riverside and San Marco are cool neighborhoods and getting cooler. The key piece is our downtown and just making it something that Jaxson's are not ashamed of - which is the usual response. We have a beautiful river, we need connectivity with the neighborhoods, but we need to build up Laura St. and Bay St. with restaurants and nightlife. I really believe with the amenities in the current day and age, people will want to live on the river and developers will see that soon enough.
All the cool towns we've visited have had one thing in common: they all have some type of linear park/path that allows walkers, runners, cyclists, etc., access to the best parts of the city. Columbus, Austin, Chattanooga, and many others have it. Atlanta is getting theirs, with their Beltline project, plus they have the USA's best rail trail with the Silver Comet. Heck, even a rebuilding-from-the-dead Detroit is getting theirs! Jacksonville desperately needs to leverage their amazing riverfront and tie into those cool neighborhoods that you mentioned, plus all points east (i.e., The Beaches). I know I won't see it in my lifetime, but it would be cool to see someone with the vision actually get it started.
The Riverwalk?
Which goes how far? I'm talking miles and miles of safe, scenic pathway, not a hodgepodge of hit-and-miss, or a few hundred yards downtown. And, if this already exists, it sure isn't marked or marketed very well, as we've never seen a thing about it!
No offense, but there are bigger issues. At the same time, does this work for you? - http://www.traillink.com/trail/jacksonville-baldwin-rail-trail.aspx
There will ALWAYS be bigger issues than parks and recreation. If we wait for this to be the issue, it will never be done.
As for the Baldwin trail, yeah that's a nice start but it does nothing to those communities that I mentioned. It doesn't connect with DT, any of the up-and-coming neighborhoods, and definitely not the eastern half of the community (Kernan, Hodges, Beaches, etc.) This is a trail that you basically have to drive to, park your car, use the trail, then go back home. You can't even get there from DT in a safe, orderly manner. Those towns that are committed to this have created paths very much like this, but have also gone out of their ways to make sure the people can get SAFELY from the trail to the DT area, without making up their own paths and taking their lives into their hands.
I do agree with your previous comments about parks and recreation up to a pint, however, I believe that it works the other way around - green spaces are more or less the consequence of increased economic activity and that is why the "cool cities" that you mentioned have them. According to theory, there is a U-shaped relationship between economic performance and the how much people care for the environment - if a society is rather underdeveloped, there are few issues with the environment, then as the society becomes more advanced, nature tends to suffer, only to become an integral part of the peoples' lives for very highly developed societies (the Scandinavian countries and Germany would be a good example for that). So in order to achieve these effects, we have to aim at attracting investors to our city. But of course, it will happen in time. Florida has some of the most improving housing markets in the country, largely a reflection of more borrowers becoming current on their mortgage payments as the local employment picture improves and house prices rebound. There are more and more apartments, houses and condos for sale in Pompano Beach (http://sabbiabeachcondos.com/the-team/) , fort Lauderdale, Miami and all along the coast for that matter. If we haven't really felt the boom, I am convinced we will soon.
QuoteDT Jax was once vibrant (big city vibrant) and we have no one else to blame but ourselves for what it has become
Lake, I don't believe anyone wanted downtown to become a ghost town, its just that the people moved out to the suburbs. The economics of living downtown with little shopping, little night life, little to really do hits home when you see how Town Center has evolved. People have the shopping, events and parks that allow for living. People will come back when there are enough services to satisfy their demand and needs. Til then, lots of vacant buildings after 5.
I do hope that Brooklyn can spill into LaVilla and cause change there. I would like to see some of those empty spaces turned into recreational areas. There are no real parks downtown, except for 1 block in front of City Hall. A soccer field, baseball/softball, running track, tennis courts, a rec complex, there needs to be more offered to keep people wanting to be downtown. Its just not there now. Add more residents demanding these things, I think it will happen. The new YMCA will help, but there also needs to be more green spaces downtown.
QuoteLake, I don't believe anyone wanted downtown to become a ghost town, its just that the people moved out to the suburbs. The economics of living downtown with little shopping, little night life, little to really do hits home when you see how Town Center has evolved. People have the shopping, events and parks that allow for living. People will come back when there are enough services to satisfy their demand and needs. Til then, lots of vacant buildings after 5.
Jax is no different from anywhere else, in regards to suburban growth after WWII. Downtown has been more negatively impacted by the decline in population of neighborhoods like LaVilla, Brooklyn, Springfield, Cathedral District, etc. and the relocation of industry than anything taking place at Town Center. It fell in the dumps long before Town Center came on the scene. I believe it will come back in some form. How far back depends on the direction we take towards investing in enhancing public space, mobility, accessibility, smart infill & redevelopment, etc.
Quote from: mtraininjax on October 28, 2015, 05:20:49 AM
QuoteDT Jax was once vibrant (big city vibrant) and we have no one else to blame but ourselves for what it has become
I don't believe anyone wanted downtown to become a ghost town, its just that the people moved out to the suburbs.
Like Lake said, this happened in virtually every city in the country. The difference is that in the last twenty years or so, it has reversed in many places and downtown living has become desirable again. Jacksonville has missed the boat on this movement, and it is almost entirely due to the decisions made by local leaders...both government and industry.
Quote from: finehoe on October 28, 2015, 09:45:08 AM
Quote from: mtraininjax on October 28, 2015, 05:20:49 AM
QuoteDT Jax was once vibrant (big city vibrant) and we have no one else to blame but ourselves for what it has become
I don't believe anyone wanted downtown to become a ghost town, its just that the people moved out to the suburbs.
Like Lake said, this happened in virtually every city in the country. The difference is that in the last twenty years or so, it has reversed in many places and downtown living has become desirable again. Jacksonville has missed the boat on this movement, and it is almost entirely due to the decisions made by local leaders...both government and industry.
Agreed. The 30 to 50 year old model of development is still in place in Jacksonville, as well as most non-progressive cities across the country, where the answer is build lots of roads with lots of lanes and lots of parking lots for lots of cars and segregate residential from commercial so that there is no walkable connectivity. I have a feeling it is mostly due to bad zoning or lack there of from conversations I've heard/read. Those who know more than I do about Jax keep saying there needs to be a zoning overhaul and I'm really starting to buy into that the longer I live here. This development model that was so popular in the 70's, 80's and 90's is something that more progressive cities (that I've lived in and visited) seemed to have figured out wasn't such a good model to continue with a decade or two ago. And a city can take progressive steps development-wise and still keep its traditional southern identity which I think is important for Jax, you don't have to become a Seattle or San Fran. See Greenville, SC or Birmingham, AL to a degree. I'm sure there are plenty of other examples too but I think Greenville has a good mix of development styles and obviously leaders who understand how important that is to creating a high quality of life.
I've heard nothing but amazing things about Columbus. Just went on a date with someone from Columbus a couple days ago in fact, and one of my roommates from my Atlanta days ended up moving there to teach at OSU, and loves it. Flies under the radar, perhaps, perhaps moreso for people > 33-35 years old, but it's "known" as a cool place with a good gay scene too for those in their 20s. I've heard fewer but some good things about Indianapolis, too (which also has Bloomington right there/IU). Apparently everywhere else in OH is literally the pits, no matter how much Cleveland or Cincy are talked about as being revitalized and hip (I've been told they are in fact not).
I was going to post the first comment earlier in the Urban Construction thread (was just going to say "Ugh, depressing.") and decided that I would be railed against for being a negative nancy, all talk no action (which is all true), but it is depressing, and the comments on this thread are all no better.
Jax leaders have nobody to blame but themselves. And perhaps our newest/freshest/youngest in both the public and private sector are on the same/right page and have to clean up others' major major mess, but generally, leadership in Jax, even today, seems to be sorely lacking.
At the RAP Town Hall Meeting, it was discussed if we could enact some of the ideas some recent new RAP members experienced when they lived in Portland, OR, where streets were shut down for pedestrians, bikes and families on Sundays. A new way for community to grow with neighbors. Everyone loved the idea and the person(s) who recommended it were nominated to run with it and gain community support, which should not be hard. Who would not love to shut down their streets on Sundays for a couple of hours and just walk, talk and watch families in the streets?
^Interesting. What else was discussed?
A lot, will be posting more to the Nextdoor Avondale RAP group later, will then see if I can copy over. RAP will have these quarterly meetings on a regular basis, was probably 100+ people there last night. Great turnout!
RA Trolley set to RUN every weekend come January. So that is good news.