Business owners frustrated by dealings with COJ

[spuwho]

Per The Jax Daily Record:

http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory.php?Story_id=542187

By Carole Hawkins, Contributing Writer



Trendy restaurants and shops are the revitalization pieces that bring character to an urban core. But for some, the experience of creating that character in Jacksonville doesn't appear to be much fun.
Two Jacksonville retailers and a developer had little love for city government processes Thursday as they talked about the experience of developing infill properties.

Ben Davis, owner of Intuition Ale Works; John Valentino, owner of four Mellow Mushroom franchises; and Michael Balanky, president of Chase Properties Ltd., unleashed frustrations at a panel discussion, as fellow panel member Alexandra Rudzinski, director of development for the city's Office of Economic Development, listened.

The goal of the event, sponsored by the International Council of Shopping Centers' Next Generation committee, was to bring developers, retailers and the city together to talk about how to optimize development while working with local government, historic designations and neighborhood overlays.

But the group got stuck at the first step — agreeing on the problem.

Davis runs a craft brewery

and tap room, a business that straddles two different zoning categories. He said the city is often punitive toward his operation.

"I think there's a lot of antagonism when you deal with the city," he said. "When you open up your first week and you're almost in tears because you're scared you're not going to get your state permit to sell your beer, and the next day you have somebody coming up from the city, telling you they're going to fine you for every sign you have up, it doesn't put you on the right foot.

"If I treated my customers the way my interactions with the city are, I wouldn't be in business."

Valentino was similarly disappointed in the city.

He had already owned three successful Mellow Mushroom franchises in the suburbs. But to get his fourth opened –– an infill project in Avondale –– he had to struggle for two years with a neighborhood group that opposed it for having too little parking.

"There really is no one in the city, outside of the Planning Department, that will help you navigate and get you where you need to be," he said. "I had to hire an attorney."

Rudzinski told Valentino that developers would always be challenged by their environment and needed to be aware of whether they are the right fit for a neighborhood.

That idea, though, fell flat.

"You're almost saying if someone wants to buy the house next to you, they can't because they're not the right fit," Valentino said. "If someone can delay you from opening for two years, then that's what's not the right fit."

Balanky said the public should have a voice in development. But long-drawn-out delays can gut a real estate deal.

"When I developed, I had a great rapport with the city. But there are repercussions to delay, delay, delay," he said. "We had over 15 public meetings. It went on ad nauseum. If we had contained that in 30 days, we wouldn't have ended up any differently. But it would have saved a lot of sleepless nights."

All four did agree that urban infill development is coming back strong and Jacksonville is poised for the opportunity.

[thelakelander]

Rudzinski told Valentino that developers would always be challenged by their environment and needed to be aware of whether they are the right fit for a neighborhood.

Hmmm.......not the best answer for a city wanting to successfully compete economically in the 21st century.

[spuwho]

What's a "right fit" for a vacant weed choked parking lot made up of a former historic building foundation?

Just curious.

[strider]

There seems to be a big difference between the larger developers and the smaller ones like represented here.  Jacksonville bends over backwards for the larger ones and yet somehow allows the "public" to almost stop Mellow Mushroom. 

Frankly, we complain that no public input is allowed for some things and then seem to complain that too much public input is allowed on others.  We can't have it both ways and get the change we say we want for Jacksonville.  If we want public input, sometimes that input is going to hurt, like with Mellow Mushroom.  But to have no input, the federal dollars coming in to Jacksonville will continue to be abused and we will never have a mobility fee and the urban core will remain as it is.

[IrvAdams]

Its not a very accurate summation of the meeting.

Although Alex did say that.

There was almost no disagreement about the problem however.

Actually, even just agreeing on the problem is a huge step forward in Jacksonville politics. One small step towards the goal.

[ben says]

The crap small businesses put up with in Jax makes me want to run for mayor! 

[GoldenEst82]

It seems the city goes out of its way, to be in the way, in a lot of ways.

Its like they are terrified they are not going to get "their cut" of the pie, so they have to be as punitive as possible- to rack up the fees so they get "their cut".
We pay for business licenses!?! We pay regulatory fees, and all manner of nickle and dime filing fees. We pay them to become legit business owners- but maybe they feel that the small guys need "to be watched" more that the big guys- which is a flawed bias, based on perceived money spent on the city. 

Is there a live-blog or transcript of this meeting? I would have liked to attend this!

[LisaAnn]

I am a new small business and refuse to open an office in Jacksonville for just this reason. I will stay in Clay County/Orange Park.

[Dog Walker]

I opened a business here in 1983 and had absolutely no problems then or later with the city.  I built a building for manufacturing that was in an area zoned for it; got the proper building permits, passed all the inspections, got a business license and kept going.  Even got a permit for an on-site sign with no problem.

However, I did my homework in advance and knew the steps to take so didn't trip over the unknown.

[IrvAdams]

Were (or is) your business in a Historic District?

[thelakelander]

However, I did my homework in advance and knew the steps to take so didn't trip over the unknown.

What about if you have a use that's basically an unknown in our archaic zoning code and you can't afford Paul Harden to write your legislation for you? In my case, I had to apply for a PUD because the use I wanted didn't exist in Jax's code.  Doing the homework, may reveal you're better off not even investing in Jax because of the mess you'll have to deal with in City Hall. However, that solution doesn't work if you are of a mindset to invest in enhancing the town you live in.

[Dog Walker]

Were (or is) your business in a Historic District?

I don't think that there is anything in the Historic Districts that is zoned for manufacturing.  It was actually in an industrial park.

Are Jacksonville's requirements for building in an Historic District actually that much more odious than the requirements for building in the historic districts or St. Augustine or Charleston or New Orleans?  ( Scratch that last.  In NO you just pay someone off. )

[urbanlibertarian]

There are a lot of interests, both money and power, invested in the status quo of red tape that makes it difficult and expensive to start and maintain a small business especially in the core.  Didn't local leaders learn anything from their trip to Houston?  I'll bet you could start your business there, right in the middle of downtown, for a small fraction of the time and compliance costs you need here.

[Intuition Ale Works]

Were (or is) your business in a Historic District?

I don't think that there is anything in the Historic Districts that is zoned for manufacturing.  It was actually in an industrial park.

Are Jacksonville's requirements for building in an Historic District actually that much more odious than the requirements for building in the historic districts or St. Augustine or Charleston or New Orleans?  ( Scratch that last.  In NO you just pay someone off. )

Our block is zoned light industrial so is Bold City's building.

[Dog Walker]

I opened a business here in 1983 and had absolutely no problems then or later with the city.  I built a building for manufacturing that was in an area zoned for it; got the proper building permits, passed all the inspections, got a business license and kept going.  Even got a permit for an on-site sign with no problem.

However, I did my homework in advance and knew the steps to take so didn't trip over the unknown.

I dont think your businesses would be legal under the current overlay would they?

If as Ben says, his area is zoned light industrial then yes, I could have expanded in the District.  I actually wanted to stay in the Riverside area since this was where I started (not in the District), but could not find a piece of vacant land big enough and did not want to tear something down.  Had to have a custom building due to the nature of the products. 

Second business could have gone anywhere that allowed a business and was served by UPS and FedX since no manufacturing was involved.

Again, do we have regulations in our historic districts that is different from those in other historic districts.