Downtown's Blighted Surface Parking Lots Under Fire

[sheclown]

Thank you Stephen. 

[ChriswUfGator]

That's a seriously excellent explanation of what happened to downtown commerce in a nutshell.

Just to prevent COJ from getting seriously confused by this (quite accurate) analysis, Stephen should send them a consulting bill for $500k so they feel at home with it. Don't want them stepping too far outside that comfort zone.

[tayana42]

Another well-done post by Metro Jax.  Thanks.

[dganson]

Rimmer, immerses himself in the archaic parking ordinances learning every possible violation.  He picks an easy stable of common violations and hires a couple of guys to drive around downtown, identify violations and call the Parking Commissioner demanding that enforcement assess the newly quadrupled fines.  This leads to a giant leap forward in the number of 'boots' being applied to downtown consumers.

Again Stephen..well written but your entire post is a fabrication to make a point. This entire post is a perverted lie, or you just do not get it.

[tufsu1]

http://jacksonville.com/business/2010-12-09/story/licensing-parking-lots-may-help-spruce-downtown-jacksonville

[tpot]

I think the city should just take all these lots over and turn them into pocket parks. The homeless in Jacksonville need more places to hang out.....

[heights unknown]

Only 3 words for this thread......."It's about time."

HU

[finehoe]

I think parking garages with apartments on top would be a way to bring more residents downtown. and reduce the lack of parking.

Huh?  What lack of parking?

[Lunican]

It does appear that these lots suffer from a total lack of maintenance and pose a hazard to anyone simply walking through. Looks like a gold mine for a slip and fall artist...

[Dog Walker]

Here's a simple solution that will satisfy the garage owners AND be good for the environment.

Require that all concrete be removed from every vacant site as part of the demolition.  Make it retroactive.  No surface parking available and much less storm water runoff since there will be a lot more exposed dirt.

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

Here's a simple solution that will satisfy the garage owners AND be good for the environment.

Require that all concrete be removed from every vacant site as part of the demolition.  Make it retroactive.  No surface parking available and much less storm water runoff since there will be a lot more exposed dirt.

Ha.  Easier said than done DW.  Most of the surface lots were buildings, so the 'lot' you see is actally the foundation of an old building.  The piers on most of those building probably go down 4-5 feet (speculation), but point being is that they're like iceburgs - what you see is only a fraction of what's actually there.

[Dog Walker]

I understand that they are the foundations and first floors of old buildings, not purpose paved.  They will all have to come out to build anything on the lots anyway.  There is no construction engineer that is going to build a new building on unknown foundations.

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

I understand that they are the foundations and first floors of old buildings, not purpose paved.  They will all have to come out to build anything on the lots anyway.  There is no construction engineer that is going to build a new building on unknown foundations.

Waddya mean, we Italians are better know because of it.....

[Dog Walker]

I bet that some architect in Pisa got fired over that one a few hundred years ago!  LOL!

I understand that there are actually TONS of lead bars inside the first floor of that tower on the up side to try to keep it from going over.

[fsujax]

Those pictures are so depressing!