Living Downtown as a Millennial

[Gunnar]

The whole story of the Berkman still confuses me.

So if I remember correctly at least the parking garage was very poorly built and this collapsed. I tried making sense of the whole thing (including the various lawsuits) but failed to do so.

What I am still wondering about is - what is the quality of the rest of the building(s) like, considering what happened to the parking garage?

What puzzles me the most is how the general contractor ended up owning the building (I know there was a lawsuit but still).

Also: Was the company that currently owns the Berkman involved in the construction of the garage in any way ?

[jaxjaguar]

It's not just the homeless people, I knew that would come with the territory. They have grown significantly in numbers recently, though (I assume because the weather up north is changing). With those increased numbers have come: gun shots in the parking lot across the street, human excrement, spitting on cars, pieces of cardboard and booklets in my windshield wiper every morning, people sleeping in the bushes and on the sidewalks, being hassled on a daily basis, people digging through the trash and letting it spill everywhere, people dumping out cigarette butt receptacles, witnessing 10-15 people sleeping in the U-haul building next door every morning being let out / getting dressed in broad daylight, random yelling / fights, having my bicycle kicked over and seat stolen while in the library, etc... all within a 2 month span.

Seeing the incompetence of our city council since I've joined this forum and project after project fail to come to fruition / indefinitely delayed is highly disconcerting. I have a feeling things will get "better" within the next 10 years, but at the rate things are going I'm not sure that "better" will be remotely close enough to make me want to move back.

I'll try contacting the people everyone suggested. I'm also thinking about joining DVI. Unfortunately, I don't think anything will change in time to keep me downtown. I still want to do my part, but I'm going crazy having to leave everyday to do anything, dealing with homeless people and getting fined for living somewhere no one goes. I'm ready to get out and move to Riverside or San Marco where most of the people my age / things to do are.

[Tacachale]

Did a post about how posts keep getting deleted, get deleted?

[WarDamJagFan]

Well if you're moving out of downtown and looking for the polar opposite, it's quiet, safe, and fairly inexpensive in the JTB/Hodges/San Pablo area. Close to the beaches, Town Center, and honestly not that far from Riverside - as a 20 minute drive is a walk in the park outside of the normal, brief slowdowns in the mornings/evenings.

[simms3]

Downtown will need to compete with Riverside and other areas for Millennials.  Jax jobs market is so concentrated in the burbs/SS that downtown isn't as appealing from a "convenience" standpoint as other downtowns that are larger/more central to their regions.  Whatever Riverside is doing, DT Jax really kind of needs to do better if it wants to grow a base.

Riverside has the area's best art museum and other top cultural outlets.  So even on that front Riverside offers comparatively more than DT Jax.  Jax needs to think of itself as a new urbanist sunbelt city, akin to Charlotte, Denver, Austin, etc.  It needs to clean up downtown.  There is really no reason for Downtown Jax to be so grimy.  When Chicago and New York have much cleaner downtowns (and when MEATPACKING is much cleaner than DT Jax) you know there is an issue.

If you're seeing more homeless people in DT Jax than Portland, OR, you know there is an issue.

[tufsu1]

^^^^Sounds like you gave DT Jax a true old college try and the city failed you.  Get out of dodge, move to Riverside or San Marco for a far superior urban living experience with more to do.

and thanks for the left coast perspective

Given our posting history, do you agree that Riverside and San Marco offer superior urban experiences or not?  Sometimes I can't tell with you.

I'm happy living downtown...there are certainly great urban experiences to be had in San Marco and Riverside, but being able to walk to the TUPAC, Florida Theatre, MOCA, and the stadiums is pretty nice too!

[WarDamJagFan]

When Chicago and New York have much cleaner downtowns (and when MEATPACKING is much cleaner than DT Jax) you know there is an issue.

Now I'm going to have to object on the comment about NY having a much cleaner downtown. I had to work up there last Summer in the financial district. I almost threw up in my mouth daily from the smell of the trash piled up on every street corner. The amount of trash on those streets completely blew my mind.

[Gamblor]

When Chicago and New York have much cleaner downtowns (and when MEATPACKING is much cleaner than DT Jax) you know there is an issue.

Now I'm going to have to object on the comment about NY having a much cleaner downtown. I had to work up there last Summer in the financial district. I almost threw up in my mouth daily from the smell of the trash piled up on every street corner. The amount of trash on those streets completely blew my mind.

You got to love New York's strongest!

[simms3]

^^^I guess I'm used to that.  But the sidewalks are generally clean, and I'd rather lick an old gum covered sidewalk in meatpacking than an unrepaired and ill maintained sidewalk in DT Jax or some other cities that aren't good at keeping clean.

NYC, for being 200,000 people per square mile, is about as clean as it gets.  Certainly a different city today than the first time I went when I was much younger.  And even then it wasn't the same as when my mom lived there in the 70s 

Here in SF, which I've heard described as both *disgusting* (same - trash on corners, LOTS of homeless, older imposing buildings, etc) and pristine (by rich people who visit and literally only see their friend's neighborhood in Pacific Heights), there are crews that power wash the heavily used sidewalks, some almost every day (especially those where the visitors are).  No matter the obstacles, image is everything.  Jax's obstacles really aren't so great when you compare to what other cities face.  It's a new city with mostly new buildings, an ideal climate for landscaping, and it's small/not dense and I would think thus easy to keep fixed up.  I guess not...

[Gamblor]

NYC, for being 200,000 people per square mile, is about as clean as it gets.

Bingo

[simms3]

^^^Likewise, Jacksonville, for being 1,000 ppsm and for being a "new" city is about as dirty as it gets.  Just my opinion.  Some can say resources are spread thin with the low density, but there's got to be an enforceably inequitable balance between $$$ going to sprawling subdivisions/master planned communities in the burbs (i.e. CODs/master developers/enforced development/infrastructure fees and contingency buckets), and city resources going to the heart of the city, which is what visitors see and comment on when they return to wherever they came from.

Interesting and relevant articles (takeaways for Jax...i.e. everything costs money, ways to boost effectiveness and efficiency).

http://www.sfgate.com/nation/article/Salt-Lake-City-a-model-for-S-F-on-homeless-5587357.php

http://www.triplepundit.com/2013/05/hult-gov-policy-homelessness-government-track/

http://www.sfexaminer.com/sanfrancisco/sf-spends-1657-million-on-homeless-but-its-still-not-enough/Content?oid=2730887


What percentage of Jacksonville's annual budget would $200M be?  Likewise, are there things that Salt Lake City is doing (public and private) that Jacksonville could be doing?  Can Jax afford a solution?  Would tax rates need to be raised to get anything done?

[Gunnar]

Don't downtown building / lot owners pay property taxes ? That should cover city maintenance costs. Unless money is going elsewhere.

[tufsu1]

^^^Likewise, Jacksonville, for being 1,000 ppsm and for being a "new" city is about as dirty as it gets.  Just my opinion. 

agreed, it is just an opinion.  and somewhat misleading at that.  You can't say Jax. has 1000 persons per square mile and NYC has 200,000.  Sorry, that is simply not true. 

And as for downtown sidewalks being dirty, are you going off your experience living here years ago?  I ask because DVI has been regularly pressure washing them for the last 5+ years.

[jaxjaguar]

^^^Likewise, Jacksonville, for being 1,000 ppsm and for being a "new" city is about as dirty as it gets.  Just my opinion. 

agreed, it is just an opinion.  and somewhat misleading at that.  You can't say Jax. has 1000 persons per square mile and NYC has 200,000.  Sorry, that is simply not true. 

And as for downtown sidewalks being dirty, are you going off your experience living here years ago?  I ask because DVI has been regularly pressure washing them for the last 5+ years.

They might be pressure washing some areas near Adams, but the vast majority of downtown is SEVERELY neglected. I'm currently working on a photo-journal of what I consider "low hanging fruit issues", which should be cheap and easy to maintain. I'm hoping to post it before the year is over so we can use it as a New Years resolution of sorts...

[downtownbrown]

The whole story of the Berkman still confuses me.

So if I remember correctly at least the parking garage was very poorly built and this collapsed. I tried making sense of the whole thing (including the various lawsuits) but failed to do so.

What I am still wondering about is - what is the quality of the rest of the building(s) like, considering what happened to the parking garage?

What puzzles me the most is how the general contractor ended up owning the building (I know there was a lawsuit but still).

Also: Was the company that currently owns the Berkman involved in the construction of the garage in any way ?

well, many on the board will not be surprised to learn that the Berkman 2 deal is not happening.  Developer needed some city money for a reasonable ROI but the city has no money.  Plus, developer wanted to take up a fraction of the Shipyards property for the garage, but the city said no.  That leave only Shad Khan to ride to the rescue. Disappointing.