Town Center program heading to Avondale

[thelakelander]

Construction to begin next week to improve and beautify.

Ever since the 1920s, The Shoppes of Avondale has always been a place built on the principles of a town center - the commercial hub of a neighborhood where people can walk easily to a variety of stores.

This month, Jacksonville's Town Center Program will start construction in Avondale, adding the historic shopping district to the areas around Jacksonville where the city has spent money on sidewalks, lighting, landscaping and other face-lifting work. The program is based on the expectation that sprucing up older commercial areas will help the surrounding neighborhoods.

The Town Center Program dates back to 2002 and has faced criticism from neighborhood advocates, saying the city has taken too long to get work off the drawing board and into construction. But a recession-induced drop in construction costs has spurred the city to seek bids and get the projects onto the street.

This year, Avondale is one of five town center areas that will break ground. To date, the city has completed 11 town center projects.

In addition to Avondale, construction started last month in the Oceanway neighborhood on the Northside. Wider sidewalks, pedestrian lighting, crosswalks and a park will be built at Oceanway Avenue and New Berlin Road.

The city has awarded contracts for work along 103rd Street between Old Middleburg Road and Chaffee Road on the Westside, and in the Venetia neighborhood in southwest Jacksonville along Ortega Boulevard. Also on tap is a plan to seek bids for Stockton Street between Interstate 10 and College Street.

The city is taking advantage of affordable bids from construction contractors, said Kenny Logsdon, senior planner in the Housing and Neighborhoods Department.

"We get more bang for the buck and we're putting people to work," he said.

For instance, a few years ago the city estimated it would cost about $1.4 million to do the town center construction slated for Avondale. He said the Town Center Program will actually spend $731,000 for the construction. The lower price reflects how the recession has slowed down construction in the private sector, which in turn intensified competition among contractors for government-funded construction.

The flip side of moving forward this year with the Town Center project is the recession also has squeezed retailers who will bear the brunt of construction, making it harder for customers to reach their stores and restaurants. Logsdon said the city will require contractors to ensure there is "reasonable access" during normal business hours.

"It's like any renovation - it's hard when you go through it," said Dianne Garcia, an owner of J Ashley Boutique and president of The Shoppes of Avondale Merchants Association.

She said the historic shopping area, home to 46 stores, needs the work, and after it's finished merchants will benefit from gaining more customers. The work will result in 30 more parking spaces for the shopping area, Logsdon said. Garcia said the work on sidewalks and streetscaping will encourage people to explore all the stores.

"We want people to walk around," she said. "We want everyone to stick their head in. We want people to eat and shop and go into the art galleries."

The Town Center program has a $12 million budget, with the money evenly split among the city's six planning districts. In addition to the five projects breaking ground this year, the city continues to design a planned town center along Heckscher Drive near the St. Johns River Ferry landing.

Logsdon said it typically takes about six months for construction of town center improvements.

david.bauerlein@jacksonville.com,

http://jacksonville.com/business/2010-03-03/story/town_center_program_heading_to_avondale

[Lucasjj]

Here is the link to the COJ website that talks about the town center program. There are also links there for the plans for each area they are intending to do this at.

http://www.coj.net/Departments/Planning+and+Development/Community+Planning/Town+Center.htm

[Captain Zissou]

The Avondale plan looks more thought out and more effective than some others.  The Lakewood area is two large and the Venetia plan goes nuts on "entry monuments".  Overall a great project for the area and a great program for the city.

If we concentrate on making our best areas better, we will at least create some neighborhoods with regional appeal and notoriety.  We will always have ghettos and sprawl, so why not polish up our gems, rather than work on making diamonds out of coal?

[cline]

If we concentrate on making our best areas better, we will at least create some neighborhoods with regional appeal and notoriety.  We will always have ghettos and sprawl, so why not polish up our gems, rather than work on making diamonds out of coal?

I would disagree.  There are many underachieving/underfunded areas in Jacksonville and this plan attempts to address issues in each of the Planning Districts.  Just because Avondale might be the most popular doesn't mean other areas should be left to rot.  Even the worst ghettos can be rehabilitated.  This is happening in areas of DC (Columbia Heights).

[fieldafm]

I skimmed over the pdf.  Are they really closing the Ingleside entrance at J Roberts Gallery?

[Overstreet]

Hecksure Drive town center? Sure make it nice delay traffic on A1A and drive the boat yard out.  It is difficulult for me to think of that area as part of a neighborhood. It is one street/highway............. Of course except for the movers and shakers that live on Fort George Island.

[lindab]

Plus most of that area is in the coastal high hazard zone. I know residents want something like a town out there but much government infrastructure investment is risky.

[Captain Zissou]

If we concentrate on making our best areas better, we will at least create some neighborhoods with regional appeal and notoriety.  We will always have ghettos and sprawl, so why not polish up our gems, rather than work on making diamonds out of coal?

I would disagree.  There are many underachieving/underfunded areas in Jacksonville and this plan attempts to address issues in each of the Planning Districts.  Just because Avondale might be the most popular doesn't mean other areas should be left to rot.  Even the worst ghettos can be rehabilitated.  This is happening in areas of DC (Columbia Heights).

Could you go into more detail about Columbia Heights?  I'm not familiar with the area, so I'm not sure how it ties in.  I am for helping areas like Murray Hill, but the areas on McDuff and Hecksher seem like a waste.

[Lucasjj]

Although I am glad to see this finally taking place, considering the plan was released in January 2005, I would rather see them take advantage of the reduced cost by completing the plan for Stockton Street. With the John Gorrie renovation happening, and the new businesses that have been going into that area between Post and Myra, I think performing the plan there could have a bigger impact.

Since the shoppes of Avondale are already a defined point of interest in the neighborhood, by improving the Stockton area you gain another whole center. Also it would help the surrounding area, which has much more room for improvement. 

I don't think Avondale should be completely written off, but I just think improving Stockton would better benefit the Riverside area.

I guess one idea though might be that by showing the effect this has on a place like Avondale, it makes it easier to fund the other projects in the future.

[fsu813]

"The program is based on the expectation that sprucing up older commercial areas will help the surrounding neighborhoods."

- with this in mind, not sure that Avondale particularly needs any sprucing up. especially that area. i agree, better spent on Stocton Street near College & Myra.

[tufsu1]

Could you go into more detail about Columbia Heights?  I'm not familiar with the area, so I'm not sure how it ties in.  I am for helping areas like Murray Hill, but the areas on McDuff and Hecksher seem like a waste.

From wikipedia...

"In 1968, following the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., riots ravaged Columbia Heights along with many other Washington neighborhoods. Many homes and shops remained vacant for decades.

In 1999, however, the city announced a revitalization initiative for the neighborhood focused around the Columbia Heights Metro station that opened that year. The opening of the Metro station served as a catalyst for the return of economic development and residents. Within five years, it had gentrified considerably, with a number of businesses (including a Giant Food supermarket and Tivoli Square, a commercial and entertainment complex) and middle-class residents settling in the neighborhood. However, unlike some gentrified neighborhoods in the city, it had not become homogeneous: as of 2006, Columbia Heights is arguably Washington's most ethnically and economically diverse neighborhood, composed of high-priced condominiums and townhouses as well as public and middle-income housing.

On March 5, 2008[1], DC USA, a 546,000 square-foot (51,000 m²) retail complex across the street from the Columbia Heights Metro station opened. The space is anchored by retailers Target and Best Buy[2]. The shopping center also includes 390,000 square feet (36,000 m²) of underground parking[3]."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbia_Heights,_Washington,_D.C.

http://www.columbiaheightsnews.org/

[Captain Zissou]

So Columbia heights is somewhat similar to the revitalization of the area around Riverside hospital, but on a bigger and more drastic scale? Or perhaps sprucing up an area like La Villa?  I am a little young to have experience riverside at its worst, but that is what I think would relate to this scenario. 

I am for turning derelict areas near the core into community hubs through the Town Center Program, but I don't support the projects for 103rd st etc... While those areas are worse off, i think they are less critical to improving Jax and it's regional and national status as making truly great areas.  I think continued investment in Avondale and San Marco will make them nationally known, or at least state-wide.  Winter Park in Orlando is a good example of a town center 1 or 2 steps above San Marco. 

[Lucasjj]

Not to hijack this thread, but I also do not have much experience with Riverside during its down years. I don't know what information exists out there, but it will be really informative if a future Metrojacksonville piece showed where Riverside came from during its down years.

[fsu813]

Not to hijack this thread x2,

but i moved into Riverside during the "down years".

i have some very good stories and unique experiences.

[Sportmotor]

We will always have ghettos and sprawl, so why not polish up our gems, rather than work on making diamonds out of coal?

arnt diamonds worth more then gems?