Downtown's Blighted Surface Parking Lots Under Fire

[bigcraiginjax]

Happy to see my lot (Forsyth and Main) was considered desirable.  FYI, the ticket writers do patrol these lots to look for violations--I got a nice one for a partially obscured registration sticker.  The monthly charge for this lot is 85.60, and I pay it to the Tax Collector.  The price has been the same for at least 5 years.

[jaxlore]

Man i remember a similar discussion back pre-jaguar days saying the parking lot lobby put the kabosh on the sky way going to the stadium.

[finehoe]

We have a surplus of parking.  A new nationwide inventory has tallied a whopping 750 million parking spaces, three times more than there are cars and trucks, and more than double the number of people in the US:

http://abcnews.go.com/m/screen?id=12306930

[ChriswUfGator]

3 yrs for this study?!?! If I'm reading that correctly, wow

Yeah, especially funny when it took us 5 minutes to figure out the same thing on this message board without the aid of paid consultants. LMAO

[ChriswUfGator]

Half of Ionia Street is empty lots where houses used to stand.  if they were parking lots, perhaps the cars would crush the weeds.

Just sayin'

I don't know the history of the surface parking lot saga, nor do I know the players.  Just seems like a distraction.  I only hope one day Main Street is busy enough that folks will be lined up to park on Jennifer's scab on 7th & Main in Springfield.  Cuz right now, it is blighted and doesn't have anything on it. 

It's not a distraction at all.

The parking cartel is to the urban core's destruction what SPAR was to Springfield's, to give it perspective.

[Kiva]

It is a step in the right direction to clean up the parking lots. It would be more useful if they had included some photos with examples of "Desirable" and "Acceptable with Improvements" so we could see the ultimate goal.

[Captain Zissou]

Half of Ionia Street is empty lots where houses used to stand.  if they were parking lots, perhaps the cars would crush the weeds.

Just sayin'

I don't know the history of the surface parking lot saga, nor do I know the players.  Just seems like a distraction.  I only hope one day Main Street is busy enough that folks will be lined up to park on Jennifer's scab on 7th & Main in Springfield.  Cuz right now, it is blighted and doesn't have anything on it.  

It's not a distraction at all.

The parking cartel is to the urban core's destruction what SPAR was to Springfield's, to give it perspective.

You'd be delusional to think that this is going to save downtown, but this is not a distraction.  Apathetic and absentee landowners are a huge problem in downtown.  This proposal is a small step towards getting them to shape up or ship out (I'm hoping for the latter).  

Dressing up our surface lots is lipstick on a pig, but it requires a capital investment from people who haven't invested a dime in their property for a decade.  This will get them thinking about how to get the most out of their dollars, and sprucing up their lot may not be the best way.  They may sell, try to develop the lot, or put the lot to new use.

I think the actual end result of this study will be much better than just spruced up parking lots.  I hope it will be degenerate and small town landlords giving up their properties to more progressive minded people.  Even though it took forever, I think the study was very well done and important.

[duvaldude08]

I am sorry. These lots around downtown look a mess. Being that there are so many of them, they could atleast be presentable. I mean come on. I think this is a great idea. And the three year phase is acceptable in my point of view. I see that as "slapping" the owners with anything.

[tufsu1]

3 yrs for this study?!?! If I'm reading that correctly, wow

Yeah, especially funny when it took us 5 minutes to figure out the same thing on this message board without the aid of paid consultants. LMAO

well before we all laugh too loud....do we know this work was done by a consultant?  The presentation seems to imply that JEDC staff did it.

I also highly doubt the study took 3 solid years...maybe they worked on it off and on over a period of years...you know, while also working on other studies/projects.

[hightowerlover]

So now we can be the empty downtown with fancy surface parking lots?  *squeal*

[Bewler]

I am sorry. These lots around downtown look a mess. Being that there are so many of them, they could atleast be presentable. I mean come on. I think this is a great idea. And the three year phase is acceptable in my point of view. I see that as "slapping" the owners with anything.

Agreed. Have a little pride in our city. As long as it doesn’t end up costing us a fortune I don’t see the harm in cleaning up these lots a little bit.

Either that or encourage people to have bon fire parties in them, because that’s what seeing these pictures made me think of. Someone’s large over grown back yard where everyone parks and drinks from the keg.

[fsujax]

^^there are those that already have bonfires in them! ever drive down State St on a cold morning or night?

[Actionville]

Downtown surface lot bonfire kegger? Haha, I imagine all sorts of interesting folks would wander in

[fieldafm]

Its actually a ballsy move.

Honestly, its probably the most controversial thing JEDC has done in the last 5 years.

Actions like this, and Mr Barton's comments about finding real leadership and vision in the upcoming elections actually give me newfound hope about the JEDC.  

This bill will either clean up lots, encourage development of abandoned lots, or force derelict landowners to get rid of the land to someone who will do one of the latter options.

I purposely try to avoid bringing out of town guests into the area from the old Paradome to the new courthouse.  How sad is that the JTA's lots that serve conventioners is one of the lots in question?  Not the most positive image for out-of-town conventioners.  


 

[sheclown]

Well, those of you who have been paying attention know better than I do.  

If requiring parking lots to get presentable is controversial, that says a lot about what the majority of us don't know...(only Jacksonville...sigh)...