Urban Parks: Main Street Pocket Park
(http://photos.metrojacksonville.com/photos/540529707_2opZs-M.jpg)
The Main Street Pocket Park was completed in mid 2007 as a part of a plan to expand greenspace in the downtown core. It was envisioned by City Hall that, due to its proximity to the Main Library, it would become a popular place for library users and residents looking for greenspace in a sea of concrete.
Full Article
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2009-may-urban-parks-main-street-pocket-park
This was a big mistake. The library already has a nice court yard to sit and read inside. No near by places to get anything to eat or drink. Why would one sit out there in the hot Florida sun. A walgreens or CVS with affordable condos or apts on top may have been a better idea. Once again the city doesnt listen they just do what they think is best. This really was built for the homeless.
that park sucks. a wasted space.
While a few would say get over it, I think the implementation of this park should serve as an example of what we don't want to do in the upcoming visioning process the Mayor recently proposed. We have a prime example of what can happen when you don't follow the 10 step program described by Project for Public Spaces ( March 6, 2007's "Greening of Main: A failure in the making?" article). You can create an "OK" project that looks good to drive by or we can strive for greatness by creating & enhancing spaces that draw pedestrians on a regular basis. In the past we've settled for "OK". The new visioning proposal gives us a chance for greatness.
When we address future public space improvements we really need to design spaces that have built-in uses to draw people on a regular basis. They also need to be designed to fully integrate with the uses surrounding them.
As for the Main Street park, I wonder what the plans are for the space in the future. A while back, it was mentioned it would become a sculpture park but has not happened as of yet.
I drive by this location daily and everyday it is full of homeless waiting to get inside the library. NIce sight to see as you drive down Main Street into JAX..........
tpot, that is exactly what all of the urbanists on this forum predicted what would happen. When leadership thinks they know more than those with training/experience in an area, is when plans go awry.
Project for Public Spaces is coming to Jacksonville to partner with a local company on a Springfield project. That's right, Springfield. Maybe some other important connections can happen while they are here...
Quote from: tpot on May 28, 2009, 07:07:40 AM
I drive by this location daily and everyday it is full of homeless waiting to get inside the library. NIce sight to see as you drive down Main Street into JAX..........
I think I saw the dance in your avatar being performed there.
This park is a disaster. It is only used by the homeless, bums, vagrants.....whatever you prefer to call them. I pass it everyday on my way to work and think to myself what a wasted opportunity.
the thing with public area being overrun by homeless is unavoidable if down town is loaded with homeless service. I do not understand why non-profit are exempt from property tax. With the property tax going up everyday, no body can afford to live in downtown except the homeless.
Quote from: fsujax on May 28, 2009, 08:08:58 AM
This park is a disaster. It is only used by the homeless, bums, vagrants.....whatever you prefer to call them. I pass it everyday on my way and think to myself what a wasted opportunity.
And a big waste of money.
Quote from: fatcat on May 28, 2009, 08:10:00 AM
the thing with public area being overrun by homeless is unavoidable if down town is loaded with homeless service. I do not understand why non-profit are exempt from property tax. With the property tax going up everyday, no body can afford to live in downtown except the homeless.
Property taxes are hardly going up, in fact my roommate (who is in school to be a teacher) and two friends of mine who are substitute teachers lost their jobs as a result of Christ's last round of property tax cuts.
but about the park, my friends and I tried to hang out and play frisbee there a couple of times at night, but the reason we stopped going there is because everyone walks their dog down there, lets it take a big dump, and they just leave it there. The grassy areas amount to little more than a big toilet for everyone's dogs. Add in the wandering bums that just wait for someone to harass for for "fitty cent" and it's pretty much worse off than all the moonscape parking lots in terms of accessability.
We should spend a couple thousand more for a big sign that says:
Welcome to the Main Street Pocket Park!
"A park for bums to park their bum."
Quote from: thelakelander on May 28, 2009, 06:58:27 AMYou can create an "OK" project that looks good to drive by or we can strive for greatness by creating & enhancing spaces that draw pedestrians on a regular basis. In the past we've settled for "OK". The new visioning proposal gives us a chance for greatness.
This has always upset me about many Jacksonville residents, their comfort with settling. The phrase "Its better than what was there" shouldn't be thrown around as often is it does, especially when what has been built is mediocre at best.
The only difference between the park and a parking lot is the grass.
^and $700k. I would have went out there and laid sod myself for $100k. ;D
They should have made it a skate plaza. It would have given kids and younger adults a place to legally skate downtown.
I agree with the previous replies. EVERYTIME I drive by, it's filled with homeless. I don't know what could have gone there but this wasn't the answer.
I don't know what you guys are talking about, but I usually see these fine examples of downtown citizens when I drive by.
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2183/2100284322_12143a4538.jpg?v=0)
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2213/2100282578_754cc9baab.jpg?v=0)
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2344/2099516245_e5e9591727.jpg?v=0)
Of course the last one is Hemming Plaza, but it's all the same
Maybe they can make it into a public garden and then in the future either sell the land to a developer or build a museum/municipal building there.
Quote from: hanjin1 on May 28, 2009, 09:53:34 AM
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2213/2100282578_754cc9baab.jpg?v=0)
And the grass looks litter-free.
Quote from: TPC on May 28, 2009, 09:16:02 AM
They should have made it a skate plaza. It would have given kids and younger adults a place to legally skate downtown.
nope this city would rather arrest and prosecute skateboarders and coddle the vagrants. in this city's twisted logic its the skateboarders who are the problem the vagrants are just poor souls who need sympathy and handouts. they'll spend almost a million dollars on what is basically an outdoor homeless shelter and then go out and arrest the skate kids, effing ridiculous!
Quote from: Keith-N-Jax on May 28, 2009, 06:15:57 AM
This was a big mistake. The library already has a nice court yard to sit and read inside. No near by places to get anything to eat or drink. Why would one sit out there in the hot Florida sun. A walgreens or CVS with affordable condos or apts on top may have been a better idea. Once again the city doesnt listen they just do what they think is best. This really was built for the homeless.
I don't think it was built for the homeless, but it wasn't a good idea. This "pocket park" or whatever its called, is a by product of Jax's government administration not thinking, basically not thinking at all. How about a McDonald's in that spot? Or yeah, a small downtown CVS or Walgreens? Or even a 10 story residential/office complex or even an office skyscraper? Hemming Park is just a block or so away and that should signal that there is no need for a park a block away behind the library; it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out.
Heights Unknown
Quote from: hanjin1 on May 28, 2009, 09:53:34 AM
I don't know what you guys are talking about, but I usually see these fine examples of downtown citizens when I drive by.
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2183/2100284322_12143a4538.jpg?v=0)
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2213/2100282578_754cc9baab.jpg?v=0)
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2344/2099516245_e5e9591727.jpg?v=0)
Of course the last one is Hemming Plaza, but it's all the same
It's a given that the homeless will be there because that park was a mistake, so what else could it be used for? What bothers me is all the trash and litter strewn throughout that little park.
Heights Unknown
Quote from: heights unknown on May 28, 2009, 10:34:03 AM
What bothers me is all the trash and litter strewn throughout that little park.
No joke. It is disgusting.
I always wondered if that guy was trying to tan his stomach?
my dogs quite like shitting there.
it would be a nice site to hold a tea party rally
Quote from: hanjin1 on May 28, 2009, 10:47:29 AM
I always wondered if that guy was trying to tan his stomach?
Ummm, I don't think so, he's African American and dark complexioned at that; not much tanning going on or will happen there (I don't think).
Heights Unknown
was just in detroit visiting an awesome pocket park, fountain, food and there is even small stage.
Lakelander posted some Detroit pics in the past.
You mean this Detroit park? We focused on this park as a successful example of how to create a great urban public space. If something like this can be built in Detroit, then there is no excuse for the same techniques not succeeding in Jacksonville. Unfortunately, no one listened. Hopefully, this time around, the process will be more open.
(http://www.metrojacksonville.com/images/greening_of_main/Detroit-CampusMartius.jpg)
(http://www.metrojacksonville.com/images/mainst_park/site_plan.jpg)
(http://www.metrojacksonville.com/images/mainst_park/gitg.campusmartiuslights.jpg)
(http://www.metrojacksonville.com/images/mainst_park/WOODWARD-FOUNTAIN.jpg)
Thats how we roll up north..
...welcome to last place, Jacksonville!
Anyway, I agree and have said for quite some time, all it is is the main street dog poop bum collector. The biggest lack of urban planning foresight since.. well... the wholesale dynamiting of downtown's historic building stock.
The real irony of the "pocket park" is that it used to be the site of absolutely the best Italian restaurant in North Florida, Nicola's. Nicola Buano was a lawyer in Italy, but followed his American wife back to Jacksonville and turned his hobby into a fantastic restaurant in a location that had been an Italian restaurant and deli since the 1920's. Not fancy, tile floors and formica tables, but incredible, stunning food. At lunch, more city business got done there than in City Hall.
The building was torn down for, wait for it, a parking lot! Yes, the very parking lot that was sooo awful that they HAD to turn it into a, wait for it, parking lot for bums!!
Jacksonville urban planning at it's best.
The pics/rendering in Lake's last post are of Campus Martius in Detroit -- a Project for Public Spaces project. Here's what their web site says about it:
"'We wanted a place that was green and that was a center of activity for downtown,' he continues. 'But we didn't want a place that was tranquil and beautiful, but there was nothing to do.' Gregory says they hit on the idea of a lively town square by looking at examples like Rockefeller Center and Bryant Park in New York, and many European city squares.
'Over the last year, the park has delivered on its promise to be a gathering spot for everybody,' Gregory says with unmistakable pride in his voice. 'People call it 'beautiful' and say it looks like 'a real city.' It changes the image of Detroit in everyone's mind. They see the square on TV, hear about what's happening there and they see Detroit differently.'
Five hundred million dollars of new investment has flowed into the area since plans for Campus Martius were announced, including a new office building across the street, new retail shops, and loft developments in many of the area's old buildings. Most significantly, the Compuware computer firm moved its headquarters and 4000 employees from the suburbs to a new building near the square."
This is what the citizens of Jacksonville want -- a revitalized Downtown area. Our city can't get it right b/c politics gets in the way of leadership. This Mayor and this Council just aren't cut out for making smart decisions about it. They are penny-wise and pound foolish, and don't realize that a revitalized Downtown would be a boon for the entire region, including their own districts...
^Great post. I love Gregory's comments:
Quote""We wanted a place that was green and that was a center of activity for downtown," he continues. "But we didn't want a place that was tranquil and beautiful, but there was nothing to do."
and the results:
Quote"Over the last year, the park has delivered on its promise to be a gathering spot for everybody," Gregory says with unmistakable pride in his voice. "People call it 'beautiful' and say it looks like 'a real city.' It changes the image of Detroit in everyone's mind. They see the square on TV, hear about what's happening there and they see Detroit differently."
Five hundred million dollars of new investment has flowed into the area since plans for Campus Martius were announced, including a new office building across the street, new retail shops, and loft developments in many of the area's old buildings. Most significantly, the Compuware computer firm moved its headquarters and 4000 employees from the suburbs to a new building near the square."
This is the type of thinking that needs to go into every single public project in this city.
Quote from: thelakelander on May 29, 2009, 08:31:53 AM
^Great post. I love Gregory's comments:
Quote""We wanted a place that was green and that was a center of activity for downtown," he continues. "But we didn't want a place that was tranquil and beautiful, but there was nothing to do."
and the results:
Quote"Over the last year, the park has delivered on its promise to be a gathering spot for everybody," Gregory says with unmistakable pride in his voice. "People call it 'beautiful' and say it looks like 'a real city.' It changes the image of Detroit in everyone's mind. They see the square on TV, hear about what's happening there and they see Detroit differently."
Five hundred million dollars of new investment has flowed into the area since plans for Campus Martius were announced, including a new office building across the street, new retail shops, and loft developments in many of the area's old buildings. Most significantly, the Compuware computer firm moved its headquarters and 4000 employees from the suburbs to a new building near the square."
This is the type of thinking that needs to go into every single public project in this city.
I have a hard time taking seriously anything someone from detroit says, heres a different view of one of the fastest declining cities in America. I'm sure its a nice park but thats the least of there concerns.
http://www.detroityes.com/toc.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeUQLMEwUz4
http://books.google.com/books?id=oVJJPfdZyhwC&pg=PA162&lpg=PA162&dq=detroit+belle+isle+corruption&source=bl&ots=z_Q5ddeBsZ&sig=i4Mr1bhBQwpyMVd6lmvVcx03CDU&hl=en&ei=6fUfSrLwCqKxtgf89uG3Bg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=9#PPA161,M1
^That just makes us look worse. Despite all their problems, they were successful at creating a well designed and well used public space. If we're seriously going to hold our noses up to a place like Detroit, we should be making public spaces that blow Campus Martius Park away. At this point, its evident we aren't. Anyone who says other wise is either wearing rose colored glasses or smoking some good stuff. So what's the fix?
Its a common mistake in the sprawl dominated south. Everyone always wants more greenspace and more open space without understanding what actually works in those special public spaces in urban areas. The best way to activate a greenspace is whats around. It helps that the Detroit park has active uses within the park but I think its even more important that there is urbanism and active uses surrounding it.
I agree, the success of an urban park probably has more to do with what's surrounding it, than what's actually in it. However, the Detroit park has taken advantage of both of these issues. With this said, it has also spurred infill development around it, which in turn has made the space more vibrant. Here are a few images of this space I took last Summer.
Campus Martius Park
(http://www.metrojacksonville.com/photos/thumbs/lrg-5999-p1140117.JPG)
(http://www.metrojacksonville.com/photos/thumbs/lrg-6001-p1140118.JPG)
(http://www.metrojacksonville.com/photos/thumbs/lrg-6014-p1140124.JPG)
(http://www.metrojacksonville.com/photos/thumbs/lrg-6015-p1140125.JPG)
existing development around the park
(http://www.metrojacksonville.com/photos/thumbs/lrg-6004-p1140126.JPG)
(http://www.metrojacksonville.com/photos/thumbs/lrg-6006-p1140110.JPG)
(http://www.metrojacksonville.com/photos/thumbs/lrg-6003-p1140127.JPG)
new infill development around the park
Compuware World Headquarters (2003)
(http://www.metrojacksonville.com/photos/thumbs/lrg-6000-p1140107.JPG)
(http://www.metrojacksonville.com/photos/thumbs/lrg-6013-p1140116.JPG)
(http://www.metrojacksonville.com/photos/thumbs/lrg-6012-p1140104.JPG)
One Kennedy Square (2006) & Cadillac Square Park (2007).
(http://www.metrojacksonville.com/photos/thumbs/lrg-6009-p1140101.JPG)
One Kennedy Square is the glass office tower in the background and Cadillac Square Park is a new linear park adjacent to Campus Martius.
Unlike Campus Martius Park, the Main Street park fails as a place that allows for a diverse amount of activities to take place in it and its surroundings are not well integrated. Addressing these issues will be critical in any public space improvement planned by the city. Speaking of which, despite the Mayor's plan to upgrade the site, Metropolitan Park/Kids Kampus will still recieve a big fat F-, when it comes to integrating that site with its surroundings. Too much focus has been placed on the parks and the idea of flex space than addressing the horrible asphalt lots surrounding it.
A Tale of Two Parks
A quick visual lesson on the Do's and Don't's of urban park planning.
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2008-sep-a-tale-of-two-parks
(A photo comparison of Campus Martius Park & the Main Street pocket park)
i'll say it again this is an amazing city park, clean as can be and not a homeless person in sight.To be fair over memorial day weekend it seemed a little under utilized, but i think everyone and there mother was at the tigers game or the demf festival and there were thousands at both. I have never heard a roar that loud out of any jax game it was something, and the fireworks they shot off for the baseball game put our 4th of July fireworks to shame.
Why oh why can't we have an Au Bon Pain! I fell in love with them years ago in Providence, RI. From their website, http://www.aubonpain.com/ (http://www.aubonpain.com/), there are franchise opportunities available and many locations in Miami. The Orlando airport is our nearest location. We would be more "international" if our airport had a restaurant with a French name! ;D
In essence this was a good idea, but the final product is a mess...
I live in Springfield and go downtown a lot, especially to the library and MOCA. i usually take my 4 yo nephew with me, and i was hoping that upon the completion of the pocket park there would be some place for us to play and lay out after the library. Well...not so much. First and foremost there's very little shade, and its way too close to Main St. besides that its always full of guys hanging out drinking.
Good idea...bad location. :-\
My mother used to eat at that Au Bon Painful when she worked downtown at the Patrick McNamara Federal Building.... It's been held up at gunpoint more than once, unfortunately..
Quote from: Dog Walker on May 28, 2009, 05:59:39 PM
The real irony of the "pocket park" is that it used to be the site of absolutely the best Italian restaurant in North Florida, Nicola's. Nicola Buano was a lawyer in Italy, but followed his American wife back to Jacksonville and turned his hobby into a fantastic restaurant in a location that had been an Italian restaurant and deli since the 1920's. Not fancy, tile floors and formica tables, but incredible, stunning food. At lunch, more city business got done there than in City Hall.
The building was torn down for, wait for it, a parking lot! Yes, the very parking lot that was sooo awful that they HAD to turn it into a, wait for it, parking lot for bums!!
Jacksonville urban planning at it's best.
[/quotQuote from: Dog Walker on May 28, 2009, 05:59:39 PM
The real irony of the "pocket park" is that it used to be the site of absolutely the best Italian restaurant in North Florida, Nicola's. Nicola Buano was a lawyer in Italy, but followed his American wife back to Jacksonville and turned his hobby into a fantastic restaurant in a location that had been an Italian restaurant and deli since the 1920's. Not fancy, tile floors and formica tables, but incredible, stunning food. At lunch, more city business got done there than in City Hall.
The building was torn down for, wait for it, a parking lot! Yes, the very parking lot that was sooo awful that they HAD to turn it into a, wait for it, parking lot for bums!!
Jacksonville urban planning at it's best.
Sorry for this late post....
BUT I LOVED THAT PLACE.
I used to go there after school when I was in High School before going to work at Furchgott's...
Downtown was fun then......
Everyone's favorite urban park is out of commission.
(https://i.imgur.com/yxSQjS3.jpg)
The area is fenced off as the conversion to a dog park will begin this month (April).
For background:
https://www.thejaxsonmag.com/article/is-a-dog-park-for-downtown-the-right-move/ (https://www.thejaxsonmag.com/article/is-a-dog-park-for-downtown-the-right-move/)
I like how the fence and sign have already fallen down. Nice touch.
Lol I wouldn't expect anything less!
Memo to COJ: you don't have to have a dog to sit in a dog park. All the homeless can simply continue to stay there.
Quote from: Bill Hoff on April 01, 2019, 10:55:02 PM
Memo to COJ: you don't have to have a dog to sit in a dog park. All the homeless can simply continue to stay there.
My experience has been that many homeless types are afraid of dogs. Maybe that is what they are banking on. Only problem is, homeless outnumber downtown dogs about 50 to 1 so there is a good chance dogs will never get to use the dog park.
Some homeless people have dogs as pets. However, for you dog owners out there, is it ideal to place a dog park next to a highway?
I don't think that's a highway but no, not ideal if you want Fido to survive
Main Street is designated as US 1 and is one of the busier thoroughfares through DT. Cars usually speed through there to get through all the green lights. From that perspective, I've never seen a dog park right up on a street like that and was wondering if something like that would be an issue for dog owners?
Could care less about the designation, it's just a busy street IMO with traffic lights. Unfit for a dog park or any park for that matter.
Quoteit's just a busy street IMO with traffic lights. Unfit for a dog park or any park for that matter.
This was my worry: busy street with fast moving traffic = unfit for a dog park
Still no work on the Dog Park front, however the park does have some nice new tech!
(https://i.imgur.com/svYOOCg.jpg)
JSO-branded security cameras of some kind have gone up recently. There is another pole-mounted setup a block north; both aimed at the park. I guess JSO didn't like that a few weeks ago there were people sitting inside the park.....
My favorite unintended consequence of this is that instead of the homeless being in the park itself, they now are spilled out all over the sidewalk and on the benches. That's done wonders to improve street-level activation we so desperately need.
Does anyone know anything about these cameras? There's another camera setup at Bay/Randolph hanging right across from the Intuition balcony. That one is larger than the ones on Main Street and appears to have additional sensors/microphones attached, but it's also JSO-branded and doesn't appear to be a Shotspotter, which I was led to believe were intended to be discrete.
Those cameras have been installed in a lot of places. Some parking lots (Walmart on Normandy) have trailer-mounted cams with flashing red and blue lights to let yo know you're being watched; there's a long string of them installed on Gator Bowl Blvd. near the stadium, and a bunch up on lightpoles along 103rd St.
In short, those are common around the city in areas where JSO wants direct surveillance.
The cameras and ShotSpotter stations (which are present in neighborhoods other than just Downtown) are a separate issue from the Main Street Pocket Park. Those are part of the JSO and the Mayor's office plan to curb the spike in homicides in Jacksonville through the use of technology. Whether that's just a way to throw money at a problem, deserves a discussion all its own.
In regards to the Main Street Pocket Park, due to pushback from the community (ahem: https://www.thejaxsonmag.com/article/is-a-dog-park-for-downtown-the-right-move/ (https://www.thejaxsonmag.com/article/is-a-dog-park-for-downtown-the-right-move/)), it is my understanding that the Parks Department is working with the Cultural Council about re-introducing public art into a re-worked plan for the space... and that the dog park might be off the table all together.
In the meantime, three other pocket parks Downtown have received refreshed landscaping, pavers and furniture since the time the above- referenced article was published.
^The little park with exercise equipment on the Riverwalk (https://www.thejaxsonmag.com/article/riverwalk-exercise-park-now-open-downtown/) has been packed every time I've walked by it lately.
Was down there today and there must have been 40 people working out during lunch.
Cool little spot.
Quote from: Ken_FSU on January 14, 2020, 02:05:30 PM
^The little park with exercise equipment on the Riverwalk (https://www.thejaxsonmag.com/article/riverwalk-exercise-park-now-open-downtown/) has been packed every time I've walked by it lately.
Was down there today and there must have been 40 people working out during lunch.
Cool little spot.
Giving people a functional place to congregate in, and it becomes popular? What a novel concept :)
I use it twice a week, and have to give credit where credit is due. Boyer got Parks to repair and reopen the restroom facilities and install the initial exercise equipment... and DVI supplemented the amenity by adding more exercise equipment and staffing it with an Ambassador. The Y also offers a lunch-time class at Corkscrew Park several days a week. The constant staffing is a bit overkill, and could be much more cost effective by using an Ambassador to do an hourly sweep of the area.
But, no doubt, it has been a great addition to the Riverwalk. Need a dozen more destinations just like it.
*Since you posted it, the ADA-compliant kayak launch referenced in that article is now under construction next to the School Board building.
Another floating dock for recreational boating access that will be built on the Southbank Riverwalk in front of Riverplace Tower will likely go out to bid later this year. Site work for a new dock/launching facility at Jackson Street in Brooklyn (next to Y) is currently underway. Finally, a new River Taxi dock at Post Street (between the Cummer and Garden Club) in Riverside will go out to bid in the next few months.
Quote from: fieldafm on January 14, 2020, 02:17:09 PM
Finally, a new River Taxi dock at Post Street (between the Cummer and Garden Club) in Riverside will go out to bid in the next few months.
That's exciting, I would imagine that would lead to a fantastic boost in ridership for the river taxi
Reopened.
Got some better pictures today.
Hilariously, the city has covered every possible seating area with planters.
If you and your coworkers are looking for a spot to stand in a circle on brick pavers, the Main Street Pocket Park has you covered.
(https://snipboard.io/I3jow2.jpg)
(https://snipboard.io/MnSxtc.jpg)
(https://snipboard.io/JVfB8o.jpg)
(https://snipboard.io/lSjUzq.jpg)
You'll be able to sit on those planters without getting your butt dirty soon enough.
Quote from: Ken_FSU on November 23, 2020, 04:11:26 PM
If you and your coworkers are looking for a spot to stand in a circle on brick pavers,
That's an improvement compared to the nasty cloud of ammonia ( stale urine ) + such that it had before.
Lol give it six months.
What cracks me up is that it's been reopened for a week or two, and I've yet to see a single human being step foot in the "park."
Leave it to the city to create a public space that's equally uninviting to the homeless and non-homeless alike.
Quote from: Ken_FSU on November 25, 2020, 10:18:41 AM
What cracks me up is that it's been reopened for a week or two, and I've yet to see a single human being step foot in the "park."
Leave it to the city to create a public space that's equally uninviting to the homeless and non-homeless alike.
On the weekdays, the Ambassadors have had a heavy presence in the pocket park, which is why you don't see as much 'activity'.
On the weekends, when Ambassador presence is less, there are still food drop offs for the homeless that happen here (pocket park) on Saturday and Sundays.... and the vagrancy (sleeping on sidewalks, standing in the middle of the street and a few of the chronic drug dealers) still stretch along Main Street from the library (and pocket park) up to the 7-11. The latter happens 7 days a week.
^Do you know if there's any additional plans for the park (I remember hearing public art at one point), or if this is its new final form?
Even some movable furniture like at Hemming and some of the other micro parks would go a long way.
Quote from: Ken_FSU on November 25, 2020, 10:37:19 AM
^Do you know if there's any additional plans for the park (I remember hearing public art at one point), or if this is its new final form?
Even some movable furniture like at Hemming and some of the other micro parks would go a long way.
DVI was going to 'program' the park with a food truck during the week. With Burrito Gallery and Indochine open and struggling just next door, I hope that 'plan' is now dead. I also believe no food truck had any interest in going there (and with good reason).
About $2 million has been spent on this pathetic patch of land. And we wonder why Downtown struggles?
BTW, from personal experience, those planters will be trashed in short order. The transients REALLY love ripping out flowers, pissing in them and throwing burning things in them.
Quote from: Ken_FSU on November 25, 2020, 10:18:41 AM
What cracks me up is that it's been reopened for a week or two, and I've yet to see a single human being step foot in the "park."
Leave it to the city to create a public space that's equally uninviting to the homeless and non-homeless alike.
there will likely be some people there Friday evening - kickoff for the Cathedral District Jax's holiday lights program
Quote from: fieldafm on November 25, 2020, 10:49:34 AM
BTW, from personal experience, those planters will be trashed in short order. The transients REALLY love ripping out flowers, pissing in them and throwing burning things in them.
But I thought they weren't the problem?
I thought parks were created for us humans to enjoy, not to sit empty, with no benches (and I understand why no benches), no rest rooms, etc. Otherwise, just leave it as it once was...an empty lot!
Another definition of insanity example.
City closes ill-advised Main Street pocket park for nearly two years because it had become a haven for the homeless.
Decides against turning it into a dog park and instead spends another million or so to slightly redesign it.
And, it now seems as though the homeless have started to moved back in, putting us right back where we started with this spot.
And the years tick on...
Quote from: Ken_FSU on February 02, 2023, 08:05:43 AM
Another definition of insanity example.
City closes ill-advised Main Street pocket park for nearly two years because it had become a haven for the homeless.
Decides against turning it into a dog park and instead spends another million or so to slightly redesign it.
And, it now seems as though the homeless have started to moved back in, putting us right back where we started with this spot.
And the years tick on...
If only someone had made the case AGAINST a pocket park when it was proposed......
Yes, that is sarcasm.