Mellow Mushroom: Working with the Avondale community

[The Compound]

I think we should all visit RAP at the same time â€" they better have enough parking for all of us.

[KEGreene1]

Serious question though:  What does the Governor's Chief of Staff, Mr. Hollingsworth, have to do with We Love Avondale, LLC?  I didn't realize this was a State matter.  I know that MM has been pretty transparent, do we know exactly who is hiding behind their banner (and the outrageous untruths they are printing)?

[TPC]

This is all just a little too ridiculous. I would take the old plan any day over the new one and 4 extra spaces. The shops of Avondale reek of double standards.

I will show my support for Mellow by riding my bike up there and enjoying some pizza and beer once they open.

[ben says]

Side note:

When/where is 'town moving?

[tufsu1]

Really?  They are tearing down an historic builidng to gain only 4 (four!!!) parking spots, and that's OK?

not that it matters (because this still sucks) but the drawings seem to show a total of 9 additional spaces in the new plan

[tufsu1]

Side note:

When/where is 'town moving?

'town has been closed for over 2 months

[simms3]

So I emailed some folks today and one response I received was that he had already emailed Jim Love.  How's that?  So we have some residents, business owners and general citizenry who are on the We Love Avondale side, and then we have a group who have lived elsewhere and actually understand bigger picture.  Too many narrow minded, constricted views in Jacksonville, even in the core.

And the hypocrisy!  WOW!

Here is the email that was sent:

I believe it very unfortunate that you became embroiled in the Mellow Mushroom debate.  We live in a market society with laws, regulations, and zoning that permit businesses to open and operate according to law.  By siding with We Love Avondale LLC, I hope that you have not ruined Avondale’s future business prospects.  I just am surprised that Mellow Mushroom has agreed to your ridiculous terms.  Why will MM not be able to play music outdoors and close at 12:00, when others do not have too? 

The whole argument started with a few who live nearby complaining that cars were illegally parking, and some people had too much to drink (not MM’s fault).  We already have parking laws, and with a few cars towed away, maybe the illegal parking would stop.  Furthermore, it is illegal to drive while intoxicated.  But instead of hitting this issue, you went after a legitimate business, one that most people want to see.  I thought that RAP and other such organizations were adamantly opposed to razing “historic” buildings and this one was built in 1964, so again, more hypocrisy.

To end, how will the West End sale be impacted by your actions and the We Love AV crowd when another good buyer looks at Avondale and dares not enter the market for fear of attack?  The same for the next tenants at MoJo’s, Casbah, and the Brick?  I lived in Coconut Grove â€"Miami, much bigger than Avondale, and something like this would have been unheard of, just like so many other urban neighborhoods all over the country.  You inserted government into a place where it has no business.  Jacksonville will never grow out of the “good ole boy” mentality with this meddling.  In my opinion, you and your fellow councilmen have been the worst in recent Jacksonville history just in the last month alone.

We should all email similar letters to Jim Love and to any person in any position of power over such matters.  I am so proud to know the author of that email and citizen engagement like his might just turn the city around (along with our board, which seems to grow more powerful with each year).

[Captain Zissou]

Really?  They are tearing down an historic builidng to gain only 4 (four!!!) parking spots, and that's OK?

not that it matters (because this still sucks) but the drawings seem to show a total of 9 additional spaces in the new plan

Bro, it's 4 (maybe 5). We love Avondale is counting 3 spaces that aren't going to be there.

[Bridges]

I'm actually shocked that no one has taken to the comments on http://weloveavondale.com/ or their Facebook page.

[simms3]

So I can't put a new window in my house, but I can tear down a whole building in the name of parking?  Houses in the area in disrepair or the house 2 down from me that is basically abandoned is OK?

Please tell me Mellow Mushroom is going to put up signs on the new spaces as MM parking only and aggressively tow.  No TV after 9?  So no one can go to MM to watch a Jags game outdoors, but go ahead to West Inn and watch it on a busted old tube TV?

I can say that my parents discounted Avondale as a neighborhood to move to with regulations RAP put into place concerning what one can and cannot do with their own house, only some of which makes sense.  It takes a special person to live in Avondale and put up with not being able to necessarily do half of what you want with your house, and then of course as we can all very visibly see there are a lot of houses that need A LOT of work.  On the Riverside Ave side of the Shoppes some of the houses even look downright abandoned with overgrown yards, so of course visitors from elsewhere may feel they can park there.

These restrictions served more of a purpose 2-3 decades ago to preserve building fabric and should be loosened now to attract a higher end resident wanting the feel of Avondale but the ability to create something not necessarily 1926 looking.  The best neighborhoods in the country in terms of aesthetics have strict codes, but usually related to scale and height and use of materials, not necessarily architectural "style".  For instance there are plenty of contemporary townhomes in brownstone districts in Manhattan and the Meatpacking/Chelsea districts mix old brick warehouses with striking modern hotels and office buildings.

OK, that out of the way, so RAP is practically a history book nazi organization that has ruled with an iron fist and dissuaded tons of people from moving to the neighborhood, including my own parents.  Then they force demolition of a structure and increased parking to fit a suburban development on an urban corner?

The hypocrisy is so bad RAP should literally be disbanded and forced to cease and desist all actions and powers against all property owners within the historic district.  This is the proof needed that RAP no longer serves its purpose and is a detriment to the neighborhood (whereas we can all agree 2-4 decades ago the neighborhood *needed* RAP).

Get rid of these "Preservation" groups and put into place something akin to Neighborhood Planning boards, which don't focus just on making sure an individual homeowner's addition looks exactly like it was built in 1915 along with the rest of the house or that the paint color isn't too eye catching, but rather acts as a voice for the overall community on issues related to crime, new developments, transit, events, etc.  MUCH more useful than a fascist regulatory preservation "committee" that can push property owners around in the name of preservation.

OK, rant over.

[iluvolives]

I'm actually shocked that no one has taken to the comments on http://weloveavondale.com/ or their Facebook page.

i just did... although we'll see if the moderators for the site approve it.

[Roger904]

The Asheville location gives a good idea of what the outside seating would have looked like.  Too bad they're tearing down the gas station.

[Josh]

I'm actually shocked that no one has taken to the comments on http://weloveavondale.com/ or their Facebook page.

Oh no! Check out this "unsettling scene" where a fire truck can't fit down a road with cars parked on both sides..... except anyone with eyes can clearly see there is more than enough room. Pathetic.

www.weloveavondale.com/?p=20

[thelakelander]

The fire truck thing is a red herring.  This is how you solve that problem on narrow streets that were not designed for today's vehicles and multiple car households:

[Captain Zissou]

The fire truck thing is a red herring.  This is how you solve that problem on narrow streets that were not designed for today's vehicles and multiple car households:

This wouldn't even be a first for Jax.  Check out Sorrento and many of the roads near San Marco Square.  Avondale will soon lose residents to San Marco if this trend of anti-business and over-regulation continues.  I am considering the move in a few months.