Ted Pappas To Address DDRB On Rebuilding Monroe St April 2011.

[fieldafm]

I had some remarks prepared, but Stephen was a much more eloquant speaker on the subject and it was clear the DDRB was not in favor of Mr Pappas' plans.

The REAL test is the transportation committee meeting.  Corrigan is in favor of re-opening Monroe.

Show up or email everyone on the committee your thoughts!  This is a big, big issue.

It was stunning hearing the presentation to re-open Monroe yesterday.  The old guard has dug in and is bound and determined to keep downtown auto-centric thereby killing off the remaining building fabric left in our desolate core.  Mr Pappas actually suggested to open a public plaza to the West of the Courthouse by, you guessed it, tearing down more buildings.

I had never met Ted Pappas before.  It was amazing watching the gracefulness of his mere presence.  He is an elder statesman that commands a tremendous amount of respect and his presence was clearly felt in the room before he even spoke.  Stephen's impassioned plea to rebuild a city core, that was so callously destroyed, by keeping the promise of the economic fabric alive.  While Mr Pappas focused on vehicular movement at 8AM and 5PM of every morning, Stephen(and the board) focused on the economic bloodlines flowing through downtown at 11AM, 2PM and 7PM.  'A city should be active for at least 10 hours a day'

[Dashing Dan]

If any road gets built on the property, it just goes to show you the mentality of our city leaders. 

This is why our jail has some of the best property with water views (killing all property around it).  This is why the school board is on the water.   

The reason why public buildings are at or near the water?  When they built the city hall, the courthouse, and the jail, the waterfront was not an attractive or desirable location.  It was noisy and smelly. 

The school board building was immediately adjacent to a large electric power generating station.

[urbaknight]

I just hope that Hogan doesn't try to reopen the street. He just seems to be that type of person.

[thelakelander]

To reopen it, he would have to pay to construct a completely new street because the old one is sitting under the courthouse.  Such a move really doesn't align with Hogan's platform of cutting back.  The fiscally conservative option is not rebuilding the street.

[urbaknight]

To reopen it, he would have to pay to construct a completely new street because the old one is sitting under the courthouse.  Such a move really doesn't align with Hogan's platform of cutting back.  The fiscally conservative option is not rebuilding the street.

It may seem that way but, as I said before, Jacksonville loves its roads way too much. I think people don't care about wasting tax money if it helps them drive more.

[ChriswUfGator]

I had never met Ted Pappas before. It was amazing watching the gracefulness of his mere presence. He...commands a tremendous amount of respect. His presence was clearly felt in the room before he even spoke.

[buckethead]

 

[Kay]

Was it taken up Monday (yesterday) in the Council Transportation Committee?  If so, did they vote and how?

[Kay]

So no one went to speak on it in the close Monroe camp?

[Kay]

So you going to round up some folks to speak to it in two weeks?

[urbaknight]

Wow.  Bill Bishop is being a real dick on this issue.

Despite almost the entire DDRB/Planning Commission being in attendance today at TEU, Bill Bishop deferred the bill to allow closure of the street, and development into a plaza.

Even more, failed to extend the professional courtesy to the Planning Commission members to speak even though they had all filled out public comment cards.

This week, the deferral was because Michael Corrigan couldn’t be there today. 

Which is odd, because when the Planning Commission asked two weeks ago for a deferral in order for two Council supporters to be present who could not be in attendance ----Bishop refused to defer the meeting at Ron Barton's request.

So the game continues, what the hell.

And here I thought he was one of the good guys. I saw a meeting a while ago, he specified that we were supposed to make DT more pedestrian friendly.

[tufsu1]

generally he is

[fsujax]

what the heck is his issue with this?

[Kay]

what the heck is his issue with this?

Why don't you call him or email him to find out?

[Dashing Dan]

As a point of information -

Does a chair have the discretion to defer items unilaterally?  

Whenever I've been in the role of a chair, I've made it a point to ask for a motion on deferrals.