Urban Jacksonville Weekly Recaps Downtown Dilemma Series with David Hunt

[urbanjacksonville]

Please listen and let me know what you think:

http://www.urbanjacksonville.info/2009/12/29/urban-jacksonville-weekly-46-downtown-dilemma-wrap-up-with-david-hunt/

Here are some highlights from the show to pique your interest:

• We begin our Downtown Dilemma convo looking at the role local politics plays in Downtown Revitalization.
• Tony says political campaigns are driven by suburban dollars, not downtown stakeholders.
• Tony says campaigning on a downtown platform will take courage, innovation.
• Jonathan asks which comes first: the people or the money (retail, restaurants, etc)? Tony brings it back to a question of leadership.
• Are tax breaks the answer? We discuss. David says many in the city frown on incentives to redevelop downtown.
• I say lack of respect & enthusiasm for city are huge problems. We need something to get behind, be proud of and rally around.
• Tony feels the perception of the Downtown Dilemma piece was negative and mainly offered rehashed solutions.
• David talks cultural shift in business attitudes towards Downtown
• Tony says we need to pull out of the "suburban controlled, deforestation, pure-florida, statu-quo trench". Then we discuss.
• David says if there's ever a moment in the city's history when you could be more progressive about downtown, it has to be now.
• I ask if city ills are a symptom of our consolidated government. Then we discuss.
• Final topic » Find Money. Restore Power.

[Dan B]

I agree with Tony. Leadership is needed on the issue. I dont understand why people feel that downtown development is done at a detriment to the burbs. A strong vibrant downtown does nothing by help the entire city, including the burbs. Great Cities have great suburbs.

I also agree that the general feel of the TU piece was rehash, and over-all negative. There is a LOT of good downtown. With the entertainment boom, we have a nice launching point for other things. If our city council and mayors office would stop waiting for broken leg epiphany's, we would be much further along now.

Its not like there arent examples to follow. We dont have to look any further than Charlotte to see some immediate steps that can be taken. Be bold!

[vicupstate]

I enjoyed the show.  I have to say I see many of the topics discussed differently though.

Jake Godbold certainly GOVERNED on a Downtown platform, whether he campaigned on one or not.  In my view, Delaney did as well. Audrey Moran is running on a DT platform and SURELY Jimmy Bailey (owner of the Daily Record and DT landowner)will if he runs.

No powerbrokers DT??  What about Fideliety, CSX, BSBC (granted their suburban presence is considerable as well), Prudential, Modis.  The tax base provided by the skyline buildings is certainly large. DT may not have a monopoly on power, but it isn't powerless by any means.  I also don't see suburban employers/powerbrokers protesting that money shouldn't be spent DT. The Chamber crowd certainly TALKS of the need for a thriving DT, after their visits to Kansas City, etc.  HOWEVER, someone has to step forward to LEAD the effort.

Consolidation is not the problem, the fact that suburban residents don't feel that they are invested in their DT is PART of the problem.  DT could be a source of pride, and in consolidated cities where that is the case, there is support for DT projects.  Nashville, San Antonio, Charlotte, Indy have achieved that.  Don't forget that the BJP had signifcant DT infrastructure in it, and it won easily.  

The PROBLEMS I see are these:

**There is no CHAMPION of Downtown the way Godbold and Delaney were. Peyton is more focused on the port, the budget, etc.  By Champion, I mean someone with real authority and power, not DVI. DVI is more tactical than startegic.
** JEDC lost it's DT focus without a strong DDA in place.  Not to mention the very significant cutbacks in personnel.
** Money is short (due to the economy, money isn't being spent in the burbs either right now) and what money there has been, has not been spent well.  The seafood restaurant, the money hole that was Genovar, Main Street Pocket park, etc.  Attempting to spend millions on Metro park is another example.
** Take ONE area and focus on THAT until success is achieved.  Brooklyn, LaVilla, Stadium area, Cathedral district, Southbank, Northbank core, San Marco.  Too many areas for too few resources.  Take on the Northbank core first. Spend the Metro Park money there instead.  Success in that area will raise confidence that it can be replicated in the others.  It will bring credibilty that is lacking now.  Bay Street is already showing real signs of life, so that is something to build on.
** Problems are simply ignored.  The Homeless issue MUST be addressed, parking issues need more attention as well.
** Incentives were cut off just as the payoff was starting to be seen. Now, there is no money for incentives.  
** The focus on residential development stopped after Paul Khrutko left DDA.  Then DDA was eliminated.  If you get enough RESIDENTS downtown, the rest will take care of itself.  The only way to do that is with MARKET rate properties.  There are very few of those available. With $8k in tax credits available, it a shame entry-level properties are not available in the core to any significant degree.

It short it isn't about powerbrokers and consolidation as much as it is leadership, PRIORITY and understanding GOOD, EFFECTIVE urban design.  Lastly, stop spreading the money too thinly.


As far as the T-U piece,...

NO it was not too negative, IMO.  It was realistic. The first and last segments were by far the best ones,BTW.
POSITIVE examples and ideas WERE given (San Diego, Greenville and others).  Problems and mistakes should NOT be glossed over or minimized.

Rose colored glasses can be MORE harmful than negativity in some cases.  If we inflate the positives then the powers that be will think they/the city are on track. DT Jcksonville Is NOT on TRACK.  It is falling even further behind.  The problems that other cities have resolved (homeless/safety perceptions/parking/transit,residential base) remain unresolved here.  The importance of DT is already established and understood in those other cities.  There is a lot of work to do, and not all of it brick and mortar.  The T-U should be commended for devoting a significant amount of resources to this issue. Cheerleading is not what is needed, a wake up call is what was/is needed.

This IS a critical juncture because the new mayor will either put Jax on a better path, or allow (by action or inaction) it to fall even further behind.   
   

[Dan B]

You make some good points.

Are Moran or Bailey considered top tier, or viable candidates? I would be curious to hear more about any of the candidates vision for downtown/urban core.

[tufsu1]

Audrey Moran is very much a top tier candidate...not so sure about Jim Bailey

[mtraininjax]

Vic - Excellent Post!

Don't forget that the BJP had signifcant DT infrastructure in it, and it won easily.

BJP won 52-48, barely passed.

If Jax is not careful, we will see St. Johns Town Center become the area that grows and grows and will see more buildings go up around that core. We already saw the Feds move the FBI from downtown to Gate Parkway. Why? Did Peyton fumble this ball as well? Why not incentivize more business to come and stay downtown? Get business down there, and you will see people follow. This is very simple. When business left downtown, you saw the suburbs grow, Mandarin exploded in the 80s and JTB grew as well. Now Gate is exploding and also so is the whole southside corridor along Southside BLVD, Kernan, Hodges, its all a sign of more to come, IF we do not get stronger about downtown incentives. We stand to lose Downtown in the next 10-15 years, and watch SJTC become the next Buckhead of Jacksonville.

Ferrin does more with the Port than Peyton. I really don't know what the lame duck mayor is doing or what he'll do up to 2011. Maybe he spends more time re-arranging the furniture at his Gate office than he does downtown. Who knows? Any Pro - John Peyton people out here know what he does these days?

[urbanjacksonville]

Thanks everyone. Leadership, leadership, leadership. Does it need to come from the Mayor/City Hall/Council or can it be from the private/public sector?

Vicupstate also left an informative comment on the revival of Greenville on the Urban Jacksonville blog. You can read that here:
http://www.urbanjacksonville.info/2009/12/29/urban-jacksonville-weekly-46-downtown-dilemma-wrap-up-with-david-hunt/#comment-27481380

I think 2010 will clarify the picture on who is running, what their platform is and whether it can be characterized as viable. We should see some more people jump into the race in January. So far the recognizable names are Mike Hogan, Audrey Moran and Kevin Hyde.

JaxOutLoud lists all the people who have filed:

Mayor Mike Hogan (REP) Filed Mayor Robert Hutcherson (REP) Filed Mayor Kevin Hyde (REP) Filed Mayor Clayton Junkins (REP) Filed Mayor M.G. "Marc" Kramer (DEM) Filed Mayor Warren Lee (DEM) Filed Mayor Audrey Moran (REP) Filed Mayor James Moser (REP) Filed Mayor Dan Newman (NPA) Filed Mayor Brenda White (DEM) Filed  

[vicupstate]

The Better Jax Plan passed with 57%.  A significant majority.

http://jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/091300/opi_4046480.html

Businesses follow residences.  The mushrooming subdivisions appeared before the SJTC was built.  Same for Regency, Avenues, etc. 

[vicupstate]

Joey, because the Mayor's office to SO VERY powerful, he/she has to be on-board.  Obviously he/she alone cannot do it though.  Strong support from the top CEOs in town is a close second in importance. City council support is obviously needed, although historically they usually follow the Mayor's lead anyway.

The more private sector support these groups receive, the easier and more successful the change will occur.

[mtraininjax]

The Better Jax Plan passed with 57%.  A significant majority.

Correct, 57-43, I stand corrected, however, I don't see 57% as a significant majority.

Business fled in the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s to the southside areas, where developers built larger cheaper facilities for the businesses. Did Barnett leave downtown so Charlie Rice could drive further? CSX could move in a minute, but they have a great deal in a building built in 1960, paid for many times over and I am sure they have a great deal with the city as well. Incentivize downtown to bring the businesses back and you will see more people who want to eat, sleep and work in the same place. You cannot bring residences downtown and expect business to come down. So we have 2500 people living downtown, how many new businesses relocated there as a result of those 2500? Think about it and get back to me.