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With a new mayor and city council members taking office in July, revitalizing Downtown Jacksonville will continue to be a top priority for the city government. Here are four proven, relatively simple, common-sense suggestions to spark revival without relying on huge budgets and massive new developments.
Read More: https://www.thejaxsonmag.com/article/four-common-sense-ways-to-revitalize-downtown-jax/
This is truly "common sense." That's more important than spending millions of taxpayer's dollars on "magical" projects that don't address suggestions like this.
Just like more money didn't guarantee the winner of the mayor's race, more money doesn't insure a vibrant downtown. Surely, we have spent boatloads on infrastructure and developer incentives with little to show for it so far. Having a common sense plan and implementing it with discipline needs to be priority #1 before spending dollars on other projects.
How about do something about the mentally ill and/or drug addicted homeless problem. No one wants to come downtown when there are crazies running around stabbing people or shooting up on the sidewalk.
Interesting design for this new Hilton on Mayo's campus. Not world class by any means, but it does seem to be a break from what most hotels around Jax have built in modern times, boring boxes with painted panels to break up their surfaces. Arguably, this is a glass box, I suppose, but they have added some interest at the ground level, it appears.
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https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/news/2023/jun/26/groundbreaking-is-june-28-for-hilton-hotel-at-mayo-clinic-in-florida/
Awesome, elementary, sensible. Slap your head and yell at the top of your lungs: "I SHOULD HAVE HAD A V-8!"